Turkish government considers moving up election dates

Nuray Babacan ANKARA

AA Photo

Turkey’s government is considering plans to hold general elections scheduled for June 2015 one or two months earlier, with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu instructing assistants to make plans on the issue.

Turkey’s elections are currently set to take place on the first weekend of June 2015, but the government aims to hold the elections in April or May instead. Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials will discuss the issue in the coming weeks to decide whether it is feasible.

If the election date is changed, the current Parliament will have only three more months to work and will be faced with less time to discuss the 2015 budget. A parliamentary commission of inquiry into the alleged corruption claims of four former Cabinet members will also be unable to discuss the matter during the 2015 legislative year.

The AKP will enter the 2015 general elections without Recep Tayyip Erodğan for the first time after Erdoğan was elected president in an Aug. 10 election. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu replaced Erdoğan’s position in the party soon after the elections to become both the AKP’s leader and the prime minister.