In the Turkish parliament this week, a majority of deputies from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) voted to prevent four former ministers from being impeached at the Supreme Council on charges of corruption, in a victory for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It was not, however, the flawless victory Erdogan wanted, as a larger than expected number of AKP deputies voted the other way, resulting in accusations of treason being leveled at the maverick deputies, and fueling speculation of a split within the AKP ranks.

Regardless, Erdogan is not expected to suffer any major political consequences over this development, even if it is an annoyance and gives the opposition some much-needed ammunition. Meanwhile, his supporters in the AKP have been given an opportunity to weed out the mavericks and reinforce their positions in the party as it prepares for elections in June.

It was known all along that the opposition would vote as a bloc in favor of impeaching the former ministers. The AKP was also expected generally to vote as a bloc against impeachment, despite suggestions that some AKP deputies were not convinced about their innocence.