Turkey: Turkey’s President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced the country’s next parliamentary and presidential elections on May 14.

Mr. Erdogan, who plans to seek re-election, made the announcement during a youth conference in the northwestern Bursa province.

Earlier in January 2023, the Turkish President indicated that Ankara might reschedule the general elections from June 18 to an earlier date “in light of seasonal circumstances.”

“I thank God that we are destined to share our path with you, our valued youth, who will vote for the first time in the elections that will be held on May 14,” Mr. Erdogan shared.

The president would make the formal call on March 10, after which Turkey’s Supreme Election Council would prepare for the elections. If no candidate secures more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round of voting will be held on May 28.

The six-party opposition alliance in Turkey has yet to put forth a presidential candidate. The opposition has criticised Turkey’s economic downturn as well as an erosion of civil rights and freedoms under the president, claiming the revised government system is led by a “one-man rule.”

Mr. Erdogan, who has been in office since 2003, faces his biggest test in his two decades at the reins of the regional military power, a NATO member, and a major emerging market economy.

In 2028, Mr. Erdogan, 68, introduced a system of governance that abolished the office of the prime minister and concentrated most powers in the hands of the president. The office of the president was largely a ceremonial post before then. Under the new system, presidential and parliamentary elections are held on the same day.

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