ANKARA: Turkey Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party set to win a third straight term in office as it seeks a mandate to rewrite the constitution.
Credited with Turkey’s thriving economy, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP party was expected to cruise to victory with a minor loss of votes compared to its 47-per cent showing in the 2007 elections, according to pollsters.
Some opinion polls have predicted the AKP may hit the 50-per cent mark. The lingering question however was whether the party, in power since 2002, can secure an overwhelming parliamentary majority to press ahead with pledges to rewrite Turkey’s constitution, the legacy of a 1980 coup.
Voting ended at 1400 GMT across the country, where more than 50 million people were eligible to vote, out of a a population of some 73 million.
Initial results were expected after a broadcast ban expires at 1800 GMT. The electoral authorities often lift the ban earlier.
An ecstatic crowd burst into cheers and applause as Erdogan arrived to vote in a school in Istanbul’s Uskudar district, an AKP stronghold.
“Turkey is proud of you,” the crowd chanted, as the prime minister shook hands with supporters.
