Elections will be held in Turkey in mid-May despite the earthquake. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced this on Wednesday in Ankara. Meanwhile, there had been speculation that the presidential and parliamentary elections could be postponed.
“This people, God willing and the time approaches, will do what is necessary on May 14,” Erdogan said. As reported, in February a government representative spoke of “serious problems” regarding the election date. This was interpreted as an indication that the presidential and parliamentary elections could be postponed.
Whether Erdogan is re-elected depends, according to observers, on how he deals with the earthquake disaster. “Effective emergency aid could strengthen the head of state and his party, the AKP, by generating a sense of national solidarity,” said Wolfango Piccoli of the international consultancy Teneo. This was only partly successful. As Erdogan tried to position himself as a strong leader, he faced criticism over his government’s crisis management.
The 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes in the Turkish-Syrian border area killed more than 50,000 people, 45,000 of them in Turkey alone. More than 1.9 million people were deported from the affected provinces, according to the government. About the same number live in tents.
Three possible opponents
The opposition had previously spoken out for the election date, Erdogan commented on that for the first time. The 69-year-old was elected president in 2014 and 2018. Constitutional lawyers disagree on whether to stand for re-election as Turkey’s constitution was amended in 2018.
The party leader of the strongest opposition party, the CHP, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, and the mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavas (both also CHP), are possible candidates against Erdogan.
Source: Krone
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