The next elections for parliament and the presidency in Turkey will take place on May 14, according to an announcement made by the country’s president.
During a youth conference that took place on Saturday in the province of Bursa located in the northwestern part of Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed his intention to run for reelection. On Sunday, a video of the occurrence was made available online.
Erdogan, who had dropped hints about the date last week, confirmed it on May 14, saying, “I thank God that we are destined to share our road with you, our beloved youth.” The elections will take place on May 14, and Erdogan had dropped hints about the date last week.
He stated in Bursa that the official call would be made on March 10, after which the Supreme Election Council of Turkey would begin preparations for the elections.
A runoff election would be held on May 28 in the event that no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the first round of voting.
Erdogan, who has been in government since 2003, first as prime minister and then as president since 2014, faces his most challenging election yet as Turkey’s struggling economy battles with surging inflation. Erdogan has been in office since 2003, first as prime minister and then as president since 2014.
An opposition coalition consisting of six parties has not yet nominated a candidate for president. A pro-Kurdish party that is the third-largest in parliament has been excluded from the alliance so far, and it has stated that it may field its own candidate in the upcoming election.
Erdogan, who is 68 years old, revamped Turkey’s system of government in 2018, eliminating the position of prime minister and placing the majority of executive authority in the hands of the president. Before that time, the role of the president was mostly one of ceremonial significance. Under the new system, elections for both the presidency and the legislature will now take place on the same day.
The opposition in Turkey has pointed the finger of blame at Erdogan for Turkey’s economic slowdown as well as the degradation of civil rights and liberties, claiming that the altered government system equates to “one-man rule.” In a referendum held in 2017, the presidential system was given a narrow nod of approval and did not take effect until after the elections in 2018.
The elections for this year were originally scheduled to take place in June; however, representatives of the ruling party stated that month would coincide with summer and religious vacations; as a result, the election date was moved up.