Earthquake Prompts Talk Of Postponing General Election

Middle East Eye has reported that the Turkey earthquakes have triggered a debate in Turkey on postponing the May general election.

• A source close to the government told MEE that damage to infrastructure and displacement of voters, "may necessitate holding the elections in its regular time frame in June or even beyond that. Holding the elections in May is not realistic anymore."
• The report comes as the government of President Recep Erdogan receives intense scrutiny for a perceived slow emergency response and a lack of building code enforcement which may have exacerbated the death toll of the earthquakes.
• MEE: "While AKP officials have been studying multiple options for possible postponement, they have not yet made a final decision or a move on the issue."
• According to a Turkish constitutional expert, parliament may only postpone elections for a year if Turkey is in a state of war but there is some precedent for delaying elections in the aftermath of a earthquake.
• The Supreme Election Council (YSK), which has final say on election disputes, could unilaterally postpone the elections but an expert said: "I don’t think YSK members would sign such a divisive and controversial decision.”