General elections in Turkey set for May 14: Electoral Commission
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The Turkish Electoral Commission approved Erdogan's decision to hold the elections on May 14 which is a month earlier than initially planned.
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People walk past a photograph of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Eminonu commercial area in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, March 9, 2023 (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
The date of the presidential elections assigned by the president, May 14, was approved by Turkey's High Electoral Commission on Friday, according to Resmi Gazete.
On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree setting general elections for May 14.
"Our commission unanimously voted to approve May 14 as the date of the presidential and parliamentary elections. The second round of the presidential election, if necessary, is scheduled for May 28," the commission's statement read.
Erdogan's only opponent so far and the sole candidate of the opposition People's Alliance is Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of the People's Republican Party.
Back in January, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the general elections will be held on May 14 which is a month earlier than initially planned.
Erdogan explained that "seasonal conditions" including exams and agricultural work had been taken into consideration when deciding to move the election from June 18 to May 14.
Read more: Turkish general elections to be held on May 14: Erdogan
Earlier this week, A poll conducted by ALF showed that Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is currently supported by 31% of citizens, while 31.8% plan to vote for the opposition Republican People's Party.
According to the poll, the opposition pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party holds third place in popularity with 11.3% of votes, while the opposition Good Party's popularity decreased from 16% in February to 8.9%.
However, When asked about their favored presidential candidate, 55.1% of the interviewees said they would vote for Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Read more: Kemal Kilicdaroglu pledges to end Erdogan-era 'madness'
Kemal Kilicdaroglu became the main opposition leader who will face Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming presidential elections after the heads of six opposition parties united in the People's Alliance.
