Erdogan says Turkey snap elections set for November 1
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says November 1 is the date for the snap elections in the wake of a failure in coalition talks between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and main opposition factions.
"We will take our country to elections," Erdogan told reporters in the capital, Ankara, on Friday, saying he would hold a meeting with Parliament Speaker Ismet Yilmaz on August 24 to discuss the arrangements.
"God willing, Turkey will have the elections again on November 1," Erdogan stated.
On August 18, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu officially admitted failure to form a coalition government after talks with opposition parties did not deliver any practical results.
Davutoglu, who is the president of Turkey’s ruling social conservative political party, had held meetings with the representatives of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which ranked second and third respectively in the country’s June 7 legislative elections.
The talks turned out to be futile after the opposition parties voiced unwillingness to form a government with the AKP.
This is the first time in Turkish history that a major party fails to convince the opposition to take part in a coalition government. The AKP fell short of securing sufficient votes during the June 7 elections to form a single-party government after 13 years of unrivaled ruling.
Meanwhile, the CHP president, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has criticized Erdogan for “violating democracy” with his push for new parliamentary elections in Turkey. The Turkish president had refused to give the mandate to the CHP to form a government.
Erdogan wants to create the impression that Turkey cannot survive without him, Kilicdaroglu said on Friday, noting that the president seeks to satisfy his ego by means of fresh polls.
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