Will the elections be postponed? What is Talked Backstage?

The earthquakes in Kahramanmaras caused the death of thousands of our citizens in 10 provinces. Thousands of our people were injured, our cities affected by the earthquake were practically destroyed! After the catastrophe, which caused great destruction and sadness throughout Turkey, there were many questions waiting to be answered. One of them is whether and when elections will be held. The “immediate postponing of elections” by the former speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Bulent Arinc, has moved the pre-election debate into another dimension. Well, what do the authorities and the opposition say about the elections and the pre-election history, what do they talk about behind the scenes? Let’s look at the details together…

After the earthquake in Kahramanmarash, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency in 10 cities affected by the earthquake.

He wondered if Erdogan’s decision to declare a state of emergency would affect the presidential election, which had previously been announced to take place on May 14. However, Bulent Arinç’s call to postpone the elections immediately took the pre-election debate to another dimension.

In his statement on the date of the elections, Arinc said that the elections could be rescheduled to November 2023, combined with local elections in 2024, or that a new election date could be set after a consensus in Parliament.

Arince’s outburst sparked public opinion that “the ground for postponing elections is being created” and provoked a backlash. So, after the Kahramanmarash earthquakes, will the elections be held on time or will they be postponed? What are they talking about behind the scenes?

It is stated that behind the scenes of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) work on postponing the elections is not being carried out.

Some AKP officials stated that “We are on our way, there is no turning back. May 14 was announced as the election date. We are now in the same place, there is no postponement of the elections on our agenda.” He is said to have used expressions. However, the possibility of postponing the elections is also being discussed within the party. On the other hand, according to some party leaders, the postponement of the elections is possible only through reconciliation with the opposition.

However, some party members believe that Erdogan will not sign the decision, which has so far deprived the ballot box of its legitimacy and therefore could cast a shadow on the elections. AKP leaders are also wary of Arinc postponing elections. Some AKP officials say Arinç’s views are personal and that he has not had a close relationship with the party for a long time.

The governing partner, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), is concerned that the opposition is giving the impression that they are “running the election”.

The attitude of the MHP matters a lot in terms of whether the elections are rescheduled or not. Some party officials say the issue has not yet been discussed with the AKP and that the process should be monitored before such decisions are made.

However, it is said that there are fears behind the scenes of the party that if the elections are delayed, the opposition might get the impression that “they used the earthquake as an excuse because they were afraid of the elections.” In addition, some members of the party say that the postponement of the elections can be perceived as a “weakness in the state”, so all possibilities should be considered before deciding on the date of the elections.

According to the Republican People’s Party, it is impossible to postpone the elections

Some CHP leaders recall that Article 78 of the Constitution contains a provision that elections can only be postponed because of war. On the other hand, behind the scenes of the CHP, it is said that the government, which is afraid to go to the polls in such an environment, may try to postpone the elections through the PEC. It is argued that such a decision would be political, not legal, and would cast a shadow over the elections.

CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu reacted sharply to the idea of ​​postponing elections in a post on a social network the other day. Kılıçdaroğlu urged Erdogan “not to be afraid of the elections.” On the other hand, a party official said:Elections could be held in 81 provinces of that country when the state of emergency was in effect. It is impossible not to hold elections just because a state of emergency has been declared in 10 provinces. Turkey can handle it.In his own words, he expresses the party’s position on this issue.

The IYI Party hopes that the elections will be held on time.

It is alleged that the party’s decision to postpone the election date by the “Supreme Electoral Commission” would be a very “forced” decision. In addition, it was stated that the decision to postpone the elections cannot be made without a consensus in the Turkish Grand National Assembly.

Some people in the IYI party have stated that the elections may even take place on May 14th. “It is for the good of the nation that the elections take place on time or on May 14th. Turkey can overcome this process only with a new national will.” uses expressions.

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