BRUSSELS
The EU has welcomed the results of Turkey’s general election, calling the close to 86 percent voter turnout a "clear sign of strength of the Turkish democracy".
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Johannes Hahn, commissioner for EU enlargement, said in a joint statement Monday: "We now look forward to the swift formation of a new parliament and government, and to working together closely.
"The coming period offers opportunities for further strengthening of the EU-Turkey relationship and to advance in broadening EU-Turkey cooperation in all fields, for the benefit of all our citizens," the statement said.
"The fact that all major political parties obtained representation in the new parliament is particularly important," Mogherini and Hahn added.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz also said in a statement Monday: "The EU and Turkey might not see eye to eye on all issues, but we should never allow our differences to escalate into mystifications".
"We need a genuine and mutual commitment to move forward, be it in helping to stabilize our Southern neighborhood or to move the accession process forward," Schulz said.
"The election stands as proof of the vibrancy and pluralism of Turkish democracy," he said.
"The entry into parliament of the HDP [for the first time] enriches the Turkish political landscape and offers an opportunity to reinvigorate the peace process, an opportunity which must be seized," he added.
Highlighting Turkey’s importance as a partner, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the government was “impressed” by the turnout and would wait to see what government emerged from the election.
Romain Nadal, a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry, welcomed the “good conduct of the elections and the high level of participation”.
More than 86 percent turned out to vote for the Grand National Assembly’s 550 deputies.
Turkey's Justice and Development (AK) Party came in first in the fourth consecutive general elections to secure the largest number of votes -- 41 percent -- and to claim 258 seats in the Grand National Assembly, 18 short of a simple majority.
The second-placed Republican People’s Party (CHP) saw 132 deputies elected while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) both won 80 seats.
Although the initial count has been completed, the figures still need to be verified by the Supreme Election Council, which could take up to 12 days.
Once the final results are announced, the deputies of the 25th Grand National Assembly must be sworn in within five days.
The process is expected to be completed by June 20.
