Ankara - Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) emerged victorious in the country's Parliamentary elections on Sunday for a third time, with 49.83 percent of the votes.
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) had 25.94 percent of the votes, while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) had 12.99 percent of the votes and the independents had 6.58 percent.
With these figures, the AK Party wins 326 seats at the 550-seat parliament as CHP gets 135 seats and the MHP 53 seats. Independents have 36 seats.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also AKP chairman, said he was pleased with the result, noting that his party received 21 million votes on Sunday, up from 16 million votes in the elections of 2007.
"Today, it was democracy that won. Again, the will of the people won," Erdogan said in a speech to a joyous sea of supporters celebrating their victory at the AKP headquarters in Ankara.
He said nobody should doubt the AKP would respect the lifestyles, beliefs, values, pride and honour of everyone, including those who did not vote for them.
"Our government will be the government of all Turkish people, not only for the people who voted for AKP," said Erdogan.
Supporters at AKP headquarters cheered and waved flags as they listened to Erdogan's words, while the city's landmark Atakule tower was lit up in colour with fireworks bursting in the night sky.
