ANKARA
Turkey will hold new parliamentary elections -- probably on Nov. 1, said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday.
Following the June 7 general election which resulted in no single-party majority, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was asked by Erdogan to form a new government on July 9 within a 45-day time frame, which ends on Sunday.
"After 45 days, I will meet my parliament speaker again and after this talk, we will hopefully bring our country to an early election," said Erdogan in Istanbul. "Hopefully, Turkey will again hold an election on Nov. 1."
Since July 13, Davutoglu met with both Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli for coalition talks that in the end proved fruitless.
According to Turkey’s constitution, when the 45-day deadline expires without formation of a government, the president can decide to hold a new election.
In the event of a decision to hold new elections under Article 116, the council of ministers is to resign and the president will appoint a prime minister to form a provisional council of ministers.
The caretaker government is to be formed within five days of publication in the Official Gazette of the decision to hold new parliamentary elections.
"One thing important 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 Erdogan.
About giving the Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu the mandate before the 45-day deadline, Erdogan said: "Why would I invite him [Kilicdaroglu] to Bestepe [Presidential Palace], [he] who said 'I do not recognize Bestepe. Bestepe is illegal. I will not go to Bestepe' and who does not know the address of Bestepe."
Erdogan added: "All the facts are obvious. Is it necessary to lose time ? No."
CHP deputy chairman Mehmet Bekaroglu said Thursday that Erdogan must request that Kilicdaroglu form a government in line with his "constitutional duty", and also because "tradition dictates it so".
