The parliament on Friday passed a bill calling for early elections on June 24, with 386 lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties supporting the move. The polls were expected to be held in November 2019.
In an interview to Turkish channel NTV on April 21, President Erdogan explained the circumstances which led to the decision to hold snap polls. He said they were compelled to consider the issue, following a proposition by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli, who is set to enter an alliance with the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party. “The statement of our ally with whom we are realizing a public alliance, compelled us to assess the situation. We have evaluated it, and therefore we have reached.”
Erdogan stressed that if the ruling AK Party was power-hungry, they had the chance to remain in power for 17,18 months more.
He added that a public opinion survey will be conducted to determine his party candidates for the parliament.