Turkey: AK Party urges respect for election results

ANKARA

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party has called on all political parties to respect Sunday’s election results.

All votes cast in the elections are under AK Party guarantee, Mahir Unal, AK Party spokesman, told reporters in the capital Ankara Sunday evening as results showed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the lead, and the ruling party also leading in parliamentary polls.

Unal said the security of not only AK Party votes but votes for all political parties was “our honor”.

Unal denied rumors of manipulation of election results.

Blaming state institutions Supreme Election Council [YSK] and Anadolu Agency is “a severe provocation”, Unal said, adding it was “not acceptable”.

He called on all political party leaders to be “careful and responsible”.
“Will these politicians take responsibility if tomorrow any kind of attack towards the YSK or AA[Anadolu Agency] occurs,” Unal said.

Preliminary results as of 9.45 p.m. local time (1845GMT) show Erdogan winning 54.4 percent of the vote, with his closest rival Muharrem Ince at 29.8 percent.

His ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party is also leading in parliamentary elections, with 44.1 percent of the vote counted.

Along with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the AK Party’s election ally, the People's Alliance has won 55.57 percent of the vote so far.