President Erdoğan announced early elections

TURKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has declared that the country will hold an early parliamentary and presidential elections on June 24, which is more than a year earlier than they were due to occur.

Since last year’s referendum the polls will be the first considering the transformation which occurred in Turkey as a result of the results.

President Erdoğan stated he made the decision prior to speaking to the head of the Nationalist Movement party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, who a day before had floated the prospect of early polls.

Thus, Erdoğan has announced a formal alliance with the MHP to tackle the elections.

Erdoğan stated in his speech; “even though the president and government are working in unison, the diseases of the old system confront us at every step we take.

Developments in Syria and elsewhere have made it urgent to switch to the new executive system in order to take steps for our country’s future in a stronger way … We discussed Mr Bahçeli’s call with our relevant authorities. We came to the agreement that we should approach this early election positively.”

The election is expected to take place between 14 – 17 June in London and Edinburgh.