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              Turkish PM Touts Apparent Elections Win, Warns Foes

   Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned his political
   foes they will "pay the price" for accusing him and his party of
   corruption. Mr. Erdogan spoke Sunday to thousands of supporters in
   Ankara, as he claimed victory in local elections seen as a referendum
   on his rule.
   Early and partial results showed the prime minister`s Justice and
   Development party winning about 45 percent of the vote, with the
   opposition Republican People`s Party carrying about 25 percent.
   The Erdogan warning comes just days after his government blocked
   nationwide access to YouTube, after the video sharing website
   circulated what is thought to be an audio recording implicating senior
   officials in corruption.
   The audio is purported to be of Turkey`s foreign minister discussing
   options with other senior officials for staging bogus attacks on Turkey
   from Syrian soil to create a pretext for war.
   Earlier this month, the Ankara government banned the micro-blogging
   service Twitter for circulating other audio files implicating the prime
   minister and his son in corruption.
   The blockages have drawn international condemnation.
   The Sunni-dominated Erdogan government has supported elements of the
   Syrian opposition fighting to unseat the Iran-backed government of
   President Bashar al-Assad. Analysts say Turkey also is a key entry
   point for military supplies bound for rebels.
   On Sunday, Mr. Erdogan equated the leaks to attacks on Turkey. He has
   linked them to former ally Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Islamic cleric
   he says used a network of followers in Turkey`s police force to concoct
   a corruption case against him.
   Eight people were killed Sunday in clashes as ballots were cast across
   the country. Authorities say the violence occurred in two villages near
   Turkey`s southeastern border with Syria. Another 13 people were
   reported wounded in the gunfire.
   Human rights groups and Turkey`s NATO allies have widely condemned Mr.
   Erdogan for blocking access to the Internet.
   Sunday`s polls were the first since nationwide anti-government protests
   last year that sparked weeks of clashes that left eight people dead and
   thousands wounded.
   Fifty million people were expected to cast ballots. But no early data
   was reported on voter turnout.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/turkish-pm-touts-apparent-elections-w
   in-warns-foes/1882655.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/turkish-pm-touts-apparent-elections-win-warns-foes/1882655.html