presidential government Recep Tayyip Erdogan is moving towards holding elections in Turkey in June as planned as thoughts of postponing them due to the devastating February 6 earthquake begin to recede, three officials in Reuters.

Last month, Turkey’s president, seeking to extend his rule into a third decade, announced early presidential and parliamentary elections in May.

Polls show that this election will be the biggest test For Erdogan, whether he will remain in power or not, after two decades of leadership of the country.

days after them earthquakeOuch dated February 6, which killed more than 42,000 people in Turkey, one official stressed that the elements created “serious difficulties” for the timely holding of elections. Now those close to the Turkish president say the government opposes the idea of ​​a delay.

“It is very likely that an agreement will be reached to hold elections on 18 June.“, the government official said, adding that Erdogan and his nationalist ally Devlet Bahceli would meet to make a final decision.

The official said the idea of ​​postponing the election is losing steam because it would give the impression that the government is avoiding the election, given the backlash from the opposition to the postponement proposal and constitutional legal issues.

He and other officials spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The Turkish president and Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) did not respond to a request for comment regarding the election date.

Before the catastrophe of the earthquake Erdogan’s popularity has been undermined by the rising cost of living and the depreciation of the lira.. Since then, he has faced a wave of criticism over his government’s response to the deadliest earthquake in the country’s modern history.

Turkey today launched a temporary wage support program and banned layoffs in 10 cities to protect workers and businesses from the economic impact of the earthquake.

The government official said opting for elections in May, as Erdogan previously planned, would give electoral authorities some time to prepare and make logistical arrangements for citizens of the earthquake-hit provinces, home to about 13 million people, to vote.

A senior AKP official also stressed that the prevailing scenario is that the elections will take place on June 18. “Erdogan and Bahceli will discuss this issue and make a final decision, but at the moment May 14 seems too early and both leaders will agree on June 18,” he said.

Another senior Turkish official also stated that the idea of ​​postponing the elections was abandoned.

“If there was a delay, it would make sense in a delay of one year. The public doesn’t like it at all. This is partly why June 18 is now considered the best date.”

According to APE-MPE and Reuters