In high-risk move, Erdogan calls for Istanbul election to be annulled

Source:The Arab Weekly Date:15Apr2019

AKP Deputy Chairman Ali Ihsan Yavuz called for new elections in Istanbul, which would probably take place in June, news reports said. The decision to schedule a new election rests with Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council (YSK). There has been no announcement by the board that an official request for new elections had been made.

Erdogan met his political partner, Devlet Bahceli, leader of the right-wing Nationalist Movement Party, April 10 but did not say whether the AKP would ask the YSK to renew the Istanbul vote.

A repeat election could produce an even worse result for the AKP because people were critical of Erdogan’s decision not to accept the outcome of the March 31 poll.