Most of the votes have been counted in Turkey's general election, with over 47% already going to the ruling, Islamic-linked AK party, headed by Prime Minister Erdogan. The early vote was called after the previous parliament failed to elect a new President
“We have common esteem and targets to carry our democratic, social republic to higher levels. We will continue to work in stability to achieve our European Union targets. In this hard journey, we will take our nations high benefits as our guide as before and change demands,” Prime Minister Erdogan stated after the first preliminary results were announced. The vote is seen as crucial in determining the balance between the country's Islamic-oriented and secular elite. The Justice and Development (AK) party has campaigned on a platform of further economic, social and political reforms which are needed for the country to join the European Union. In fact, many experts were unanimous in predicting victory for them. Some predicted, though, that the outcome could bring some unexpected twist as the opposition parties have been working together in an attempt to steal some power from the AK party. The common objective has brought together the nationalist MHP and socialist CHP parties which until recently regarded each other as political enemies.