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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK party won a third term in Sunday's parliamentary elections.
It secured just under 50 per cent of the vote, with 326 of the 550 seats in parliament. But the AKP will not be able to make unilateral constitutional changes as it is 40 seats short of the two-thirds majority needed to re-write the constitution without the co-operation of other parties.
The AKP is also short of the 330 seats it needs to refer constitutional reform to a public vote.
However, it is the party's largest electoral victory since it came to power in 2002.
Many say Erdogan's support rests on his success in creating a booming economy and in ending decades of chaotic coalitions, military coups and failed international financial bailouts.
He has promised to build consensus with opposition parties to write a free civilian constitution that unites and embraces all parts of Turkish society.
Does another resounding election victory make Recep Tayyip Erdogan the most successful prime minister in the history of Turkey?
Inside Story with presenter Jane Dutton discusses with guests: Yusuf Kanli, a columnist for the Hurriyet Daily News in Ankara; Nicole Pope, the author of Turkey Unveiled, A History of Modern Turkey in Istanbul; and Mustafa El-Labad, the director of Al Sharq Centre for Regional and Strategic Studies in Cairo.
This episode of Inside Story aired on Monday, June 13, 2011.
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