Turkey’s President to Call Early Election for November

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the media in front of a mosque in Istanbul on July 24, 2015

The announcement follows abandoned efforts for a coalition government

(ANKARA, Turkey) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday he will call a new election for Nov. 1 after the legal period for forming a new government ends this week.

The widely-expected announcement comes days after Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu abandoned efforts to build a coalition government, following the failure of talks with the leaders of two smaller parties.

Erdogan told reporters he had no intention of giving Turkey’s opposition leader the mandate to try and form a government. He said he would hold talks with the parliament speaker after the 45-day legal period for forming a government ends Sunday.

“After that, we will take our country to early elections,” Erdogan said. “God willing, on Nov. 1, Turkey will go through what I like to call repeat elections.”

The Turkish leader also said he would form an interim government to lead the country to the election.

Erdogan reportedly favors a new election over a coalition government in the hope that the ruling party that he founded can regain the majority it lost in the June election..