Turkey's ruling party Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost its absolute majority in parliament Sunday, in a stunning electoral defeat for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's bid to rewrite the country's constitution to create a presidential democracy that would expand his powers. For the first time, the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) cleared the 10 percent vote count threshold it needed to join parliament.
Turkey's Ruling Party Loses Parliamentary Majority
![HDP rally in Istanbul, June 8, 2015 (Salih Turan/VOA Kurdish)](https://gdb.voanews.com/C9DF89DE-3307-4BD2-A56B-F6A8D37E5558_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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HDP rally in Istanbul, June 8, 2015 (Salih Turan/VOA Kurdish)
![Pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) supporters celebration for their victory, June 8, 2015. (Salih Turan/VOA Kurdish).](https://gdb.voanews.com/9DB1A239-3094-405D-914D-8BBB2FEFDC54_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) supporters celebration for their victory, June 8, 2015. (Salih Turan/VOA Kurdish).
![HDP rally in Istanbul, June 8, 2015. For the first time, the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) clears the 10 percent vote count threshold it needed to join parliament. (Salih Turan/VOA Kurdish)](https://gdb.voanews.com/47CDB296-160D-439C-BEA9-D6397F6DAFAD_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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HDP rally in Istanbul, June 8, 2015. For the first time, the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) clears the 10 percent vote count threshold it needed to join parliament. (Salih Turan/VOA Kurdish)
![A lottery ticket vendor reads a Turkish newspaper published with an headline reads "downfall" and a portrait of Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, June 8, 2015.](https://gdb.voanews.com/784C6FA7-5C9D-4A5C-9E31-D0B602A4BB4E_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A lottery ticket vendor reads a Turkish newspaper published with an headline reads "downfall" and a portrait of Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, June 8, 2015.