Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party — or A.K.P. — has lost its majority in Parliament. (Video via Justice and Development Party)
That's a big deal because Erdogan was looking to rewrite the country's Constitution — a "new Turkey" in his words, with an executive presidency that would give his office more powers.
Now, the A.K.P. did still get more votes than any other party — about 41 percent. But it'll lose 69 of its 327 seats in Parliament.
Making way for Turkey's Kurdish minority, which passed a 10 percent vote threshold to get the Peoples' Democratic Party representation in Parliament. That party’s ideology is left-wing, secularist and pro-Kurdish. (Video via Peoples’ Democratic Party)
It’s a huge step for the Kurdish people, who by some estimates account for just under a fifth of Turkey’s population. Despite being the country's largest minority, this would be the first time they have a sizable representation in Turkey's parliament.
That’ll give it a voice in pushing through promised reforms such as raising the minimum wage, expanding minority rights for not only the Kurds but other groups like the LGBT community and ending compulsory religious education. (Video via Peoples’ Democratic Party)
It won over voters who've accused Erdogan of trying to turn the more ceremonial presidency into something of a dictatorship. One voter told The New York Times, "A lot of Turks abandoned their ideological preferences and voted strategically to derail Erdogan’s one-man rule." (Video via YouTube / Erdoğan Gönüllüleri)
This is the first time the A.K.P. has lost its majority in more than a decade, and it now faces the option of forming a coalition government within the next 45 days.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
