EP-Voorzitter Buzek over Turkse verkiezingen (en)

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek , congratulates Recep Tayyip Erdogan , Prime Minister of Turkey and leader of the AK party (Justice and Development Party) on his election victory.

President Buzek said:

"I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Erdogan and the AK party on their landslide victory. Such a great election result also entails big responsibility towards the Turkish electorate to continue along the path of necessary reforms.

In particular, I would like to underline the necessity to pursue a comprehensive constitutional reform, in a transparent and inclusive manner, with consultation of all main sectors of society and in close cooperation with the opposition.

I welcome the fact that the Turkish voters have manifested their confidence by electing a greater number of female members as well as Kurdish politicians to the parliament.

It is my hope and wish that the new government will continue the EU accession process with renewed determination and energy. That it will commit to improving the rule of law, the freedom of expression and media, as well as minority rights in the country. Prime Minister Erdogan is a very experienced politician and I look forward to working with his government.

I am pleased to hear that international election observers have found the elections to be well-managed, democratic and pluralistic. However, they also stressed the need to improve the fundamental freedoms and noted that the 10 percent threshold for political party representation in Parliament continues to limit the representative nature of the legislature. The new Turkish government should pay a serious attention to address these shortcomings."