Erdogan: Chosen stability and trust, violence and bloodshed cannot do with democracy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the results of Sunday's elections, in which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) regained the parliamentary majority with a convincing victory, showed that the people chose to protect the environment of stability and trust.

In a statement, Erdogan emphasized that the most important message of the election results was sent to the extremist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that "violence, threats and bloodshed cannot coexist with democracy and the rule of law," Reuters reported.

Turkish security forces are battling PKK extremists in the country's predominantly Kurdish southeast in a new wave of violence that began after the collapse of a cease-fire agreement in July.

The preliminary results of yesterday's elections in Turkey show that the ruling AKP, founded by Erdogan, won back the parliamentary majority with a convincing victory.

Erdogan today called on the whole world to respect the results of the parliamentary elections in that country.

In a characteristically bellicose manner, Erdogan attacked the world media for criticizing him.

"Is this your understanding of democracy," he asked.

"Now that the party has reached power with about 50 percent of the votes... it should be respected by the whole world, and I have not seen such maturity," Erdogan added.

Preliminary results indicate that the AKP's risky move to call new elections after just five months paid off, AP assessed.

The head of the Turkish Election Commission, Sadi Guven, announced that the final, official results of the parliamentary elections will be announced in 11 or 12 days after all possible objections from political parties have been considered.

He confirmed that the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) also passed the 10 percent threshold necessary to enter the 550-seat parliament.

The HDP won 10,4 percent of the vote, which is a drop from the 13 percent it had in June.

The AKP won 49,4 percent of the vote, which will ensure it 316 seats in the 550-member parliament, enough for it to form a government on its own.

That party lost its majority in the June elections for the first time in 13 years, when the Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) entered parliament for the first time.

The HDP now won 10,4 percent of the vote, which is a drop from the 13 percent it had in June. A key challenge for the government remains the growing conflict with Turkey's Kurdish minority.

Erdogan said voters had chosen "unity and integrity", although analysts said his surprise victory rested largely on staged concerns about renewed Kurdish and jihadist attacks.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu described the outcome of the general election as a victory for democracy.

"We hope to serve you well in the next four years and stand before you again in 2019," said the Turkish prime minister.

Kilchdaroglu: The election results put a much greater responsibility

The leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kilchdaroglu, said that the election results placed a much greater responsibility on the party. The CHP won 25,78 percent of the vote, or 135 seats in parliament.

"We respect today what we did on June 7. No one should put themselves above the law and the lives and property security of every citizen should be protected. We have always been on the side of the oppressed and we will continue to do so," Kilicdaroglu said.

He pointed out that no one should be afraid about the future of Turkey, because the CHP brought democracy to the country and will continue to do so again.

EU:

The European Union is ready to cooperate with the new Turkish government, the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Federica Mogherini, and the Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, said today.

"The high turnout in yesterday's elections in Turkey confirmed the strong commitment of the Turkish people to democratic processes," the two said in a joint statement.

They expressed readiness for EU cooperation with the new government.

Last month, the EU and Turkey began sensitive negotiations to resolve the migrant crisis, as more refugees from Syria and Iraq arrive in Europe via Turkey.

The lira jumped sharply

The Turkish lira jumped sharply today after the victory of the AK Party.

Early this morning, the lira recorded a jump of more than four percent. Today, the dollar is exchanged for 2,78 lira, and the euro for 3,07.

The Turkish currency has lost 20 percent of its value against the dollar and the euro since the beginning of the year due to sluggish economic growth, high inflation and the government deficit.

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