Holding Turkish May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections announced Tayyip Erdogan.

The president’s office released a video of Erdogan announcing the date during a meeting with young voters in the northwestern province of Bursa late Saturday night.

“I am using my jurisdiction to hold elections earlier, on May 14,” the Turkish head of state said during this meeting, specifying that “this is not early elections (…), but an adjustment to take into account (date) exams “.

“I am grateful to God that we will walk shoulder to shoulder with you, our youth, who vote for the first time, in the elections that will be held on May 14,” Erdogan said, addressing these young people.

Polls show a tight fight in the parliamentary and presidential elections, which will be the biggest test for Erdogan in his two decades at the helm of a country that is a regional military power, a member of NATO and a major emerging market economy.

Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections were scheduled to take place on June 18, but President Erdogan has previously said the vote could be held sooner. A spokesman for the ruling AKP party said earlier that the June elections could coincide with the summer holiday period when people travel.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan intends to continue his 20-year rule in the upcoming elections, which will decide not only who will become the next president of the country, but also the future of its economy, as well as the role it can play in the war effort. East.

The presidential and parliamentary elections will be the biggest political challenge ever faced by Erdogan, who favors religious piety, military diplomacy and low interest rates. If he loses, his opponents promise radical change.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a youth gathering in Bursa confirms the date of the country’s elections, saying: “I am grateful to God that we will walk side by side with you, our first-time voting youth, in the elections to be held on May 14.” pic.twitter.com/FlR94ACWxi

— TRT World (@trtworld) January 22, 2023

What is at stake in Turkey’s elections?

Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party (AK) have distanced Turkey from the secular footprint of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who founded the modern Republic of Turkey a century ago.

Erdogan has also centered power around the executive president, based in a 1,000-room palace in Ankara, who determines Turkish policy in political, economic, security and international affairs.

Erdogan’s critics say his regime “crushed” dissent and took control of the justice system – a charge denied by officials, arguing that the government protected citizens from serious security threats, including the 2016 coup attempt.

Economists say Erdogan’s calls for low interest rates pushed inflation up to 85% last year, a 24-year high. At the same time, over the past decade, the pound has fallen by a tenth of its value against the dollar.

Opposition parties pledged to restore the independence of the central bank, abandon Erdogan’s centralized regime, and adopt a constitution enshrining the rule of law.