Ankara says regional challenges forced early elections
Turkish opposition says the government wanted to go to the polls over concerns about the economy. But the party says early elections will help it overcome the regional security challenges the country faces.
In this June 7, 2018 file photo, Turkish voters living in Germany vote on Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections at the Turkish consulate in Frankfurt, Germany.
Turkey will hold parliamentary and presidential elections on Sunday, more than a year ahead of the scheduled date of November 2019.
The opposition claims the governing Justice and Development (AK) Party demanded early elections due to the economic problems it has come up against.
The AK Party says it is dealing with the terror groups like the PKK, its Syrian branch YPG, Daesh and FETO, thus the early elections will help it beat many national security challenges.
The PKK is recognised as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU and it has been waging an armed campaign against the Turkish state for more than three decades and the fighting has left more than 40,000 dead, including civilians.
FETO was behind the deadly 2016 coup attempt and is run by US-based Fetullah Gulen.
TRT World’s Hasan Abdullah has more on the story from the Turkish capital Ankara.
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