ANKARA: The Turkish government stands firm that it will not postpone elections despite a large part of the country hit by devastating earthquakes earlier this month which claimed lives of some 40,000 and injuring nearly 100,000 others.
Also read: In Pictures: Earthquake wrecks havoc across Turkey and Syria
According to Turkish media reports, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is not considering postponing the upcoming presidential and parliamentary polls, and that the simultaneous election can be held either in mid-May or on June 18.
Also read: Pakistani students stuck in Turkey repatriated back home
Led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the government’s five-year term will end in June 2023, and the polls should normally take place on June 18.
The reports suggest that citing nationwide university exams in June, Erdoğan, who is also the chairman of the AKP, had already voiced May 14 as the ideal date for holding the polls. He had said earlier he would issue a decree on March 10 in order to bring the polls forward to May 14.
Also read: Pakistan sets up Rs10 billion relief fund for earthquake-hit Turkey: PM
A former senior AKP official, Bülent Arınç, argued that the polls cannot take place under these conditions and suggested postponing them. The opposition alliance harshly reacted to Arınç’s statement, stressing that there is sufficient time for making arrangements for holding polls. It also recalled that the polls can only be postponed for a year in case the Turkish Parliament declares war against a country.
The elections were on the agenda of Erdoğan’s meeting with his closest ally, Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The two parties, along with the Great Union Party (BBP), built the People Alliance, which has already nominated Erdoğan as its joint presidential candidate.
