Erdoğan indicates elections to be held on May 14

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has indicated that the presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on May 14 despite the earthquake disaster that killed more than 45,000 people in the country’s southern provinces.

Erdoğan announced that he sticks to his earlier plans to bring the election date forward from June 18 to May 14 in his address to his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) group at the parliament on March 1.

“The time is coming. This nation will do what is necessary on May 14. It won’t give credit to those who empty talk,” Erdoğan said, referring to the opposition alliance.

The five-year term of the government under Erdoğan will expire in June, but the government believes May 14 as the ideal date to hold the polls.

For that, Erdoğan will issue a decree latest on March 14 for the renewal of the elections. The process will formally start after this by the Supreme Election Board (YSK).

It has already dispatched teams to the 11 earthquake-hit provinces to study and prepare conditions for safe voting.