Şahali Proposes Early General Election on 22 March 2026

The Republic Assembly General Assembly convened for its second attempt under the chairmanship of Ziya Öztürkler at 13:23, after the first attempt earlier in the day failed to meet quorum and was briefly suspended for 15 minutes.

ERKUT ŞAHALİ: EARLY ELECTIONS MUST BE HELD ON 22 MARCH 2026

Speaking at the session, CTP General Secretary and Acting Chairman Erkut Şahali urged the scheduling of early elections. He emphasised that the vote should take place no later than after the completion of the 2026 budget.

Şahali argued that the government’s economic management under Prime Minister Ünal Üstel and the quorum issues faced by the Ulusal Birlik Partisi (UBP) further demonstrated the necessity of early elections.

Erhan Arıklı ALSO BACKS MARCH 2026

Earlier, YDP leader and Minister of Public Works and Transport Erhan Arıklı stated on Genç TV that the 2026 budget should be prepared by a newly elected Assembly. Arıklı, who has advocated for early elections for over a year and a half, suggested January, February, or at the latest March 2026 as reasonable options. He also noted that he had met with DP leader Fikri Ataoğlu, granting Prime Minister Ünal Üstel full authority to make the early election decision.