President Erdoğan refutes early election calls

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has dismissed the possibility of holding early elections and said the elections would be held in June 2023 as scheduled.

“In which developed country of the world has the election ever been held before the determined time? These are the works of tribal states,” he said, speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2020-2021 higher education academic year.

“You cannot see such a thing in a developed or a developing country. Turkey is not the old Turkey. In the new Turkey, the elections will be held on the declared date, which is in June 2023. There is no question of putting it forward,” he stated.

The issue of snap elections was brought to the agenda by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

On Oct. 9, Kılıçdaroğlu called on Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, asking for early elections because “the country is not well managed.”

“Salvation of this country lies in an early election as soon as possible. I tell this to who? I’m telling Mr. Bahçeli. If you love this country, say tomorrow morning that ‘Enough is enough,’ and run Turkey for snap elections,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, speaking at KRT broadcaster.

Bahçeli is known as a politician that had made several calls for the early elections in the recent past of Turkish politics, with the latest one in 2018.

His party has been in alliance with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the past few years.

The MHP is determined for holding the general elections on its scheduled date in June 2023, Bahçeli said, responding to the call of the CHP leader on Oct. 13.

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