Turkey's Justice and Development Party, or AKP, won what is seen as an unexpected victory on Sunday, returning the country to single-party rule. Earlier this year, the AKP did not manage to get enough votes to form a government, and the vote came as a hard blow to the party that has dominated the Parliament for more than 12 years. Fresh elections were ordered after attempts to form a coalition government failed. Opinion polls predicted a similar outcome for this election, but the AKP secured 316 seats out of 550 in preliminary results.

Reports said the Islamist-rooted party's win might increase the power of President Tayyip Erdogan, but could sharpen social divisions. The Guardian said Erdogan played on divisions between the three opposition parties, all entrenched in identity politics. The country's Prime Minister will continue to be Ahmet Davutoglu. The centre-left Republican People's Party, CHP, secured 134 seats, followed by pro-Kurdish leftist Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, with 56 seats.