Turkey's Ruling Party Regains Majority

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) regained the majority it lost in June in a parliamentary election on Sunday. With 99 perecent votes counted, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP won 49.9 percent while the main opposition CHP took 25.4 percent, according to state-run Anadolu Agency. The pro-Kurdish HDP crossed the 10 percent threshold needed to claim seats and the nationalist MHP will also take seats. Recent polls had indicated the AKP would only receive 40 to 43 percent of the vote after it lost its majority for the first time in 13 years in June. The AKP won more than the 276 seats needed for a majority, allowing it to form a government on its own and securing Erdogan's position in power.