Erdogan Indicates Turkey Elections to Be in May, 3 Months After Quake

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses lawmakers of his ruling AK Party during a meeting at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on Feb. 1, 2023. Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters

ANKARA/PAZARCIK, Turkey—President Tayyip Erdogan indicated on Wednesday that elections will be held on May 14, sticking to his previous plan for the vote with a date just over three months after a devastating earthquake killed more than 45,000 people in Turkey.

“This nation will do what is necessary on May 14, God willing,” Erdogan said in a speech to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament, in an apparent reference to elections seen as representing his biggest ever political challenge.