The law was approved by 468 votes in the 600-seat parliament after securing support from President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, its nationalist MHP allies and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party. The PKK, designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and European Union, launched its insurgency in 1984. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a heavy economic burden on mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey and fuelled decades of political and social division. The legislation is intended to address one of the central questions hanging over the peace process: what will happen to thousands of PKK members as the group dismantles its military and organisational structures. The government has described the initiative as part of its goal of creating a "terror-free Turkey", while Kurdish politicians have said lasting peace will require broader democratic and legal reforms.