Turkey's Islamic-rooted ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party pledged deep reforms aimed at EU membership for its second term after weekend elections gave it a firmer grip on power.
It was a moment of vindication for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who called the snap election after the secularist opposition blocked his party from electing one of its own as president.
But on Sunday, Erdogan's party won 46.4 percent of the vote -- more than double that of its nearest rival, according to unofficial results after all the votes had been counted.
"Our democracy has successfully passed a test ... Our unity, democracy and the republic have emerged stronger from the ballot box," Erdogan told supporters outside party headquarters under a shower of fireworks on Sunday.
"We will never make concessions from the basic principles of the republic," he said. "We will pursue economic and democracy reforms with determination."
That reform program was also stressed by the EU, with officials holding out the carrot of membership if it was pursued.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the vote came "at an important moment for the people of Turkey as the country moves forward with political and economic reforms."
But French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has vocally opposed Turkey joining the EU, showed no indication of changing position, even as he telephoned Erdogan to welcome "his remarkable victory."
He hoped "our relations of trust will continue despite the divergences France and Turkey may have," a spokesman said.
With the turnout above 80 percent, the AK party's share of the vote was the largest for any single party since 1969 and should translate into 340 seats in Turkey's 550-member parliament.
The official results of the election are expected in a week and the newly elected lawmakers could be sworn in early next month.
Erdogan's campaign focused on his party's impressive economic achievements since it swept to power five years ago, such as slashing chronic inflation, sustaining high growth and attracting record investment.
It has also eased access to medical care, provided free textbooks for schoolchildren and built cheap homes for the poor.
The main opposition Republican People's Party finished second on Sunday with 20.8 percent of vote and 111 seats, according to unofficial results.
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
About 240 Indians claiming descent from a Biblical tribe landed at Tel Aviv airport on Thursday as part of a government operation to relocate them to Israel. The newcomers passed under a balloon arch in blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag, as dozens of well-wishers welcomed them with a traditional Jewish song. They were the first “bnei Menashe” (“sons of Manasseh”) to arrive in Israel since the government in November last year announced funding for the immigration of about 6,000 members of the community from the states of Manipur and Mizoram in northeast India. The community claims to descend from
Indonesian police have arrested 13 people after shocking images of alleged abuse against small children at a daycare center went viral, sparking outrage across the nation, officials said on Monday. Police on Friday last week raided Little Aresha, a daycare center in Yogyakarta on Java island, following a report from a former employee. CCTV footage circulating on social media showed children, most younger than two, lying on the floor wearing only diapers, their hands and feet bound with rags. The police have confirmed that the footage is authentic. Police said they also found 20 children crammed into a room just 3m by 3m. “So
‘TROUBLING’: The firing of Phelan, who was an adviser to a nonprofit that supported the defense of Taiwan, was another example of ‘dysfunction’ under Trump, a US senator said US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has been fired, a US official and a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, in another wartime shakeup at the Pentagon coming just weeks after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ousted the Army’s top general. The Pentagon announced his departure in a brief statement, saying he was leaving the administration “effective immediately,” but it did not provide a reason or say whether it was his decision to go. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Phelan was dismissed in part because he was moving too slowly to implement reforms to
RSS