Plunged into uncertainty, Turkey could face early election

Plunged into uncertainty, Turkey could face early election

Reuters – Turkey faced the prospect of weeks of political turmoil after the ruling AK Party lost its parliamentary majority in weekend polls, dealing a blow to President Tayyip Erdogan’s ambitions to acquire sweeping new powers.

Instead of the two-thirds majority he had wanted to change the constitution and create a new presidential republic, the AK Party, while remaining the biggest party, failed even to achieve a simple majority. The outcome augurs weeks of unpredictability as parties vie to form a coalition and possible early elections.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters the AKP would try to form a coalition government as its first option and was optimistic that it would be able to do so, but added that an early election could be on the cards if it failed.

A coalition without the AKP, he said, was impossible.

The right-wing Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is seen as its most likely partner. But its leader Devlet Bahceli all but ruled out such a deal on Sunday, saying Turkey should hold a new election if the ruling party was unable to agree a coalition with other opposition groups.

“The possibility of a government coming out of the current situation is very slim,” one senior AKP official said, ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and party leaders to evaluate Sunday’s outcome.

“With these results, an early election seems inevitable.”

Two other AKP officials also told Reuters a new election looked unavoidable, while Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek warned a coalition would not be as reformist as a single-party government.

Erdogan has yet to appear in public following the election result, but is expected to meet Davutoglu later on Monday. He is expected to ask Davutoglu to try to form a government, but could call an early election if Davutoglu is unable to do so within 45 days.

“Everything, from the economy to big projects, is currently on hold, and we don’t have the luxury of continuing with an uncertain and weak government at a time when the world is facing great economic risks,” a second senior AKP official said.