ANKARA, July 22: Turkey’s ruling party won parliamentary elections on Sunday that had pitted the government against opponents warning of a threat to secular traditions.

The state-run Anatolia news agency said the ruling Justice and Development Party had won 331 seats in the 550-member parliament, based on results compiled with 85 per cent of the votes counted. Two secular parties, the Republican People's Party and the Nationalist Action Party, won 124 seats and 76 seats, respectively, Anatolia said. Independents won 19 seats.

Ruling party supporters gathered in front of their Istanbul branch office, clapping, dancing and waving flags depicting the party symbol, a light bulb. They chanted the name of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

''We are very happy,'' said Reyhan Aksoy, a university student. ''God willing, great days await us.''

In Ankara, the capital, a jubilant crowd of several hundred whooped as they watched election results on a big television screen set up outside the party headquarters.

The contest was viewed as pivotal in determining the balance between Islam and secularism in this nation of more than 70 million.

Many people cut short vacations to head home to cast their ballots, and lines at some polling stations were long.

In Istanbul, Turkey's biggest city, traffic jammed some main roads, and police stood guard outside schools serving as polling stations.—AP