Turkey: HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas casts his vote in parliamentary election

The leader of the People's Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas cast his ballot in Istanbul, Sunday, as parliamentary elections kicked off across the country. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's conservative Justice and Development (AKP) party, which has been in power for over 12 years now, is expected to easily win the election according to the latest polls. The objective of the conservatives is, however, to maintain a majority in the 550-seat parliament. By securing 330 seats, the AKP will be able to draft constitutional changes that would give the president more power. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) are forecast to make it over the 10 percent threshold for the first time. The political situation prior to the election has been tense, with bombings against an HDP rally on Friday and a subsequent exchange of harsh rhetoric between the ruling party and Kurdish party leaders.