A man holding a flag with an image of Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk waits with others as Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the pro-secular, center-left Republican People's Party, or CHP, is nominated by a six-party alliance as its common candidate to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Ankara, Turkey, March 6, 2023. The alliance on Monday nominated main opposition party leader Kilicdaroglu to challenge Erdogan in elections in May, ending months of uncertainty and bickering that had frustrated their supporters. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. who is seeking to extend his two-decades in power, on Friday formally set the country’s parliamentary and presidential elections for May 14 – a month earlier than scheduled despite last month’s devastating earthquake.
The elections could be the country’s most significant vote in decades. It will determine whether the country will take a more democratic path or continue on the increasingly authoritarian course set by the strongman politician.
Erdogan has ruled over Turkey since 2003 – first as prime minister and as president since 2014 – but this year’s elections could be his most challenging.
The country is struggling with a troubled economy, soaring inflation and the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that killed more than 46,000 people and left hundreds of thousands of people across 11 Turkish provinces sheltering in tents or temporary accommodation.
