Erdogan announced that parliamentary and presidential elections, originally scheduled for November 2019 will now be held June 24, meaning that a new political system that will increase the powers of the president will take effect a year early.
Turkey is switching from a parliamentary system to a presidential one, abolishing the office of the prime minister and decreasing the powers of the parliament, following a narrowly approved referendum last year. The changes take effect with the next election.
Erdogan would be able to run for two five-year terms on top of his current term.
The strongman, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, spoke of the need for the new system to be implemented quickly in order to deal with numerous challenges ahead, including Turkey’s fight against Kurdish insurgents in Syria and Iraq.
The move, however, allows the leader — criticized for his authoritarian tendencies — to capitalize on nationalist sentiment that is running high following a successful military campaign to drive out Syrian Kurdish militants from the border enclave of Afrin in northeast Syria and ahead of warnings that the economy could be foundering.
It also puts opposition parties, many of which haven’t yet decided who to put forward to challenge Erdogan, at a distinct disadvantage.
“Be it the cross-border operations in Syria, or incidents of historic importance centered in Syria and Iraq, they have made it imperative for Turkey to overcome uncertainties quickly,” Erdogan said, in apparent reference to the aspirations for independence by Kurds in both countries.
Erdogan said: “Switching to a new system of government has increasingly gained urgency so that decisions regarding our country’s future can be made and implemented with greater strength.”
Erdogan announced the early elections after a meeting with Devlet Bahceli, the leader of Turkey’s main nationalist party, MHP, who made a surprise call for early elections citing efforts by unnamed circles to foment chaos in Turkey. The MHP has agreed to an election alliance with Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP.
Erdogan, who has moved to further tighten his grip on power since a failed coup attempt in 2016, needs a 51-percent majority to be re-elected in the first round of the presidential election.
The decision to hold early polls comes a month after the AKP, with the help of the nationalist party, changed electoral laws that, among other things, paves the way for government employees to monitor ballot boxes, reducing independent monitoring of the polls.
It also follows the sale of Turkey’s largest media group, Dogan Holding, to a group that is close to Erdogan — a move observers say places 90 percent of the nation’s media under Erdogan’s control.
Cagaptay said Erdogan had been “preparing the groundwork to stack the elections in his favor.”
Turkey’s weak opposition parties announced they were ready for the polls. They, however, have just two months to prepare for the elections and come up with candidates strong enough to challenge Erdogan.
It was unclear whether Meral Aksener, the leader of the fledgling center-right Good Party which broke away from the MHP, would be eligible to run in the polls. Aksener had announced her intention to run against Erdogan and was seen as a strong candidate. Selahattin Demirtas, the charismatic former leader of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party, is in jail on terrorism charges.
The elections would be held under a state of emergency that was declared following the failed coup. Parliament extended it for a seventh time despite calls for its end. The main opposition party accuses the government of misusing its emergency powers to erode democracy and arrest government critics.
It allows the government to close down media outlets and non-governmental organizations.
The government argued that security threats from a movement led by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of masterminding the coup, haven’t abated. It also cites Turkey’s continued struggle against Kurdish rebels and other groups.
Gulen has denied any ties to the failed coup.
Erdogan amesema uchaguzi wa bunge na urais ambao ulipangwa kufanyika Novemba mwaka huu utafanyika Juni 24, na mfumo mpya wa kisiasa utakaozidisha mamlaka ya rais utaanza kutumika mwaka mmoja mapema. Uturuki imebadilisha mfumo wa bunge kuwa wa urais, na kuondoa ofisi ya waziri mkuu na kupunguza mamlaka ya bunge, kufuatia kura ya maoni iliyopitishwa mwaka jana. Mabadiliko hayo yataanza kutumika baada ya uchaguzi ujao. Erdogan ataweza kugombea kwa mihula miwili ya miaka mitano juu ya muhula wake wa sasa. Rais wa Uturuki, ambaye amekuwa akitawala tangu mwaka 2003, amesema mfumo huo mpya unapaswa kutekelezwa haraka ili kukabiliana na changamoto nyingi zinazokuja, ikiwa ni pamoja na mapigano ya Uturuki dhidi ya waasi wa Kikurdi nchini Syria na Iraq. Hatua hiyo, hata hivyo, inamuwezesha kiongozi huyo - anayekosolewa kwa mielekeo yake ya udikteta - kutumia hisia za kitaifa ambazo zinaongezeka baada ya kampeni ya kijeshi ya kufanikiwa kuwakomboa wapiganaji wa Kikurdi wa Syria kutoka eneo la mpaka la Afrin kaskazini mashariki mwa Syria na kabla ya maonyo kwamba uchumi unaweza kuanguka. Pia inaweka vyama vya upinzani, ambavyo vingi bado havijaamua ni nani wa kupendekeza kumpinga Erdogan, katika hali mbaya sana. "Iwe ni shughuli za kuvuka mpaka nchini Syria, au matukio ya kihistoria muhimu yaliyozingatia Syria na Iraq, yamefanya iwe muhimu kwa Uturuki kushinda kutokuwa na uhakika haraka, ""Erdogan alisema, kwa kumbukumbu ya matakwa ya uhuru na Wakurdi katika nchi zote mbili." "Erdogan alisema: ""Kubadilisha mfumo mpya wa serikali imekuwa muhimu zaidi ili maamuzi kuhusu mustakabali wa nchi yetu yaweze kufanywa na kutekelezwa kwa nguvu zaidi.""Erdogan alitangaza uchaguzi wa mapema baada ya mkutano na Devlet Bahçeli, kiongozi wa chama kikuu cha kitaifa cha Uturuki, MHP, ambaye alitoa wito wa ghafla wa uchaguzi wa mapema akitaja juhudi za makundi yasiyojulikana ya kuchochea machafuko nchini Uturuki." Chama cha MHP kimekubaliana na muungano wa uchaguzi na chama cha Erdogan cha Haki na Maendeleo (AKP). Erdogan, ambaye amekuwa akifanya kazi kwa bidii kuimarisha udhibiti wake wa madaraka tangu jaribio la mapinduzi liliposhindwa mwaka 2016, anahitaji kura ya asilimia 51 ili kuchaguliwa tena katika raundi ya kwanza ya uchaguzi wa urais. Uamuzi wa kufanya uchaguzi wa mapema unakuja mwezi mmoja baada ya AKP, kwa msaada wa chama cha kitaifa, kubadilisha sheria za uchaguzi ambazo, kati ya mambo mengine, zinafungua njia kwa wafanyikazi wa serikali kufuatilia masanduku ya kura, kupunguza ufuatiliaji wa kujitegemea wa uchaguzi. Utafiti huo unafuata mauzo ya kampuni kubwa ya vyombo vya habari nchini Uturuki, Dogan Holding, kwa kundi linalohusiana na Erdogan, hatua ambayo watazamaji wanasema inaweka asilimia 90 ya vyombo vya habari nchini chini ya udhibiti wa Erdogan. Cagaptay alisema Erdogan alikuwa "akijitayarisha msingi wa kuweka uchaguzi kwa niaba yake". Vyama dhaifu vya upinzani wa Uturuki vilitangaza kuwa viko tayari kwa uchaguzi. Hata hivyo, wana miezi miwili tu ya kujitayarisha kwa ajili ya uchaguzi na kuja na wagombea wenye nguvu ya kutosha kupinga Erdogan. Haijulikani kama Meral Akçener, kiongozi wa chama cha haki cha kati cha Good Party, ambacho kilitengana na chama cha MHP, ataweza kugombea katika uchaguzi huo. Aksener alikuwa ametangaza nia yake ya kukimbia dhidi ya Erdogan na alionwa kama mgombea mwenye nguvu. Selahattin Demirtas, kiongozi wa zamani wa chama cha Uturuki kinachounga mkono Kikurdi, amefungwa jela kwa mashtaka ya ugaidi. Uchaguzi huo utafanyika chini ya hali ya dharura iliyotangazwa baada ya mapinduzi hayo kushindwa. Bunge liliongeza kwa mara ya saba licha ya wito wa kumaliza. Chama kikuu cha upinzani kimeshtaki serikali kwa kutumia vibaya mamlaka yake ya dharura kuharibu demokrasia na kuwakamata wakosoaji wa serikali. Sheria hiyo inaruhusu serikali kufunga vyombo vya habari na mashirika yasiyo ya kiserikali. Serikali ya Uturuki imesema vitisho vya usalama vinavyotokana na harakati inayoongozwa na Fethullah Gulen, ambaye ni kiongozi wa kidini nchini Marekani, ambaye Uturuki inamshtaki kuwa ndiye aliyekuwa kiongozi wa mapinduzi hayo. Pia inataja mapambano ya Uturuki dhidi ya waasi wa Kikurdi na vikundi vingine. Gulen amekanusha uhusiano wowote na mapinduzi yaliyoshindwa.