Pro-government media blame 'external forces' for AKP’s loss

Unable to accept defeat, journalists who supported Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party see foreign and domestic plots behind Sunday’s elections.
Supporters wave Turkish national and party flags outside the AK Party headquarters in Ankara, Turkey, June 7, 2015. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's hopes of assuming greater powers suffered a serious blow on Sunday when the ruling AK Party failed to win an outright majority in a parliamentary election, partial results showed. With 94 percent of ballots counted, the AKP had taken 41 percent of the vote, according to broadcaster CNN Turk, a result which will leave it struggling to form a stable government
Supporters wave Turkish national and party flags outside of AKP headquarters in Ankara, June 7, 2015. - REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Semih Idiz
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Following the devastating losses the Justice and Development Party (AKP) incurred in Turkey's parliamentary elections on June 7, eyes are on the large segment of the Turkish media, which over these past few years have been co-opted by the AKP to promote its ideological agenda and bolster President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political ambitions.

While there were those in the pro-government media who predicted before the polling that there would be a relative decline in support for the AKP, few expected it to lose the parliament majority that has enabled it to rule the country without any encumbrance over the past 13 years.

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