Turkey has brought forward elections that could pave the way for a single-party state with few checks on the power of the president to 24 June, a year and a half ahead of schedule. “We have decided that elections should be held on 24 June 2018,” Erdoğan said at the presidential palace. Before Wednesday Erdoğan had repeatedly pledged to hold the elections in 2019 as originally planned, but fears of an economic downturn had recently rekindled speculation that he might change his mind. Show Hide On 16 April 2017 Turkish voters narrowly approved a package of constitutional amendments granting President Erdoğan sweeping new powers. Early elections may also leave Erdoğan with a limited field of competitors.

Source: The Guardian April 18, 2018 13:15 UTC