Turkey: opposition leader asks for snap elections

An early election is inevitable in Turkey, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader, Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, said yesterday when he repeated the opposition argument that citizens want snap elections due to their economic problems, Hurriyet Daily News has reported.

According to the newspaper, the issue of an early election was on the agenda of the CHP’s central executive board meeting after a statement by the leader of the IYI (Good) Party, Meral Aksener, in which she said that she expects a snap poll in June.

“Ms Meral is very right about this,” Kılıcdaroglu told board members on Monday. “Her comment is correct. Information brought to us by our friends in the field is that citizens are asking about the date of early elections.”

In fact, Turkey’s opposition has been calling for snap elections since last year. Speaking on a TV programme in October, Kilicdaroglu said: “The salvation of this country lies in an early election as soon as possible. Say enough is enough, and run Turkey for snap elections.”

The AK Party is the major partner in the governing People’s Alliance and has refused to bring the election date forward. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists that Turkey will not hold early elections, describing Kilicdaroglu’s statements as desperate attempts to distract public opinion with worthless matters. He also pointed out that developed countries generally hold their elections regularly and on time.

Read: Why is the Turkish opposition demanding early elections?