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After elections, Erdogan’s shadow still looms

Given his continuing hold over the AKP, negotiations for a coalition government could be stymied by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan if developments take a turn he does not favor.
A special forces police officer takes security measures as he stands on top of a building where the portraits of Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (L), Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and a Turkish flag are displayed in Istanbul, Turkey, June 3, 2015. Turkey holds a parliamentary election on June 7 that could reshape its political landscape. Erdogan hopes the result will help move Turkey towards a presidential system, while the pro-Kurdish opposition is aiming to enter parliament as a party for the first tim
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With the general elections over, Turkey's political agenda is dominated by speculation about the coalition government that has to be formed after the Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost the parliamentary majority it held for 12 years.

This is the worst result President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could have expected, not only because his leadership plans seem shattered, but also because the AKP he led for over a decade as prime minister has lost its pre-eminent place in Turkish politics. His shadow nevertheless continues to hang over the political scene, making efforts to form a coalition more difficult than otherwise might have been the case.

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