President Erdoğan calls for Nov 1 early elections in Turkey

ANKARA

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has publicly announced his desire to take the country to snap elections, suggesting Nov. 1 as the probable date of the polls.“I will hold a meeting with my parliamentary speaker once more at the end of 45 days and then we will take our country to an early election, hoping for the best,” Erdoğan told reporters on Aug. 21, two days before a constitutional 45-day deadline for forming a new government expires on Aug. 23.“At the moment, Nov. 1 is the date that has been announced,” Erdoğan said, referring to a proposal by the Supreme Election Board (YSK) to hold a prospective early election on Nov. 1.“Inshallah, Turkey will experience a ‘re-run election’ – that’s how I name it; a ‘re-run election,’” the president said, making clear that he would not give a new mandate to form the government to the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which received the second highest number of votes in the June 7 election.“One important thing here is that whoever I assign [...] will form the caretaker government from within or outside the parliament. With this cabinet, we will go to the election. Here is the process,” said Erdoğan.About giving Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu the mandate before the 45-day deadline, Erdoğan said: “Why would I invite to Beştepe [Presidential Palace] he who says ‘I do not recognize Beştepe. Beştepe is illegal. I will not go to Beştepe’ and who does not know the address of Beştepe. All the facts are obvious. Is it necessary to lose time? No.”“This land was kneaded with the blood of the martyrs and will continue to be kneaded with their blood,” Erdoğan also said, referring to recent clashes between Turkish security forces and outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants.The state had displayed patience until now as the PKK attempted to divide the country, he said, while adding that they would now make every effort against the group.Meanwhile, Koray Aydın from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) criticized Erdoğan for not giving the mandate to form a government to the CHP leader. “He assumes if he gives the mandate, a coalition might be formed and his dreams for an early election will come to naught,” he said.“The prime minister played the 43 days as if he was acting in the theater,” Aydın added.Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu should also call on the president to exhaust all avenues in the search for a coalition government before going to early elections, Kılıçdaroğlu said.“Mr. Davutoğlu returned the mandate. Accordingly, what the customs require needs to be done. That is, the process for forming a government has not ended yet,” Kılıçdaroğlu told reporters late Aug. 20, a few hours after Davutoğlu’s last-ditch call for Turkey’s political parties to agree on a working government to take the country to an early election.“Mr. President is blocking this process. It falls on Mr. Davutoğlu to make a call on Mr. President and voice an appeal to unblock this process,” Kılıçdaroğlu added.The leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), incumbent Prime Minister Davutoğlu formally abandoned efforts to find a junior coalition partner for his party on Aug. 18. After the AKP lost parliamentary majority on June 7, Davutoğlu was given the mandate for forming new government by Erdoğan on July 9.