ANKARA
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was on Tuesday given the task of forming a provisional administration in the run-up to a general election rerun expected on Nov. 1.
In a statement, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office said Davutoglu, who heads the Justice and Development (AK) Party, had been appointed to form a government under Article 114 of the Turkish constitution.
The announcement followed a meeting between Erdogan and Davutoglu on Tuesday morning.
Although no official date has been set for a rerun of the June 7 general election, Erdogan has indicated it will likely take place on Nov. 1.
On Monday, Erdogan decided on a repeat of the election, which saw no party gain enough seats to form a majority government after 13 years of AK Party rule.
Attempts by the AK Party to form a coalition government failed and the president declined to offer the second-placed Republican People’s Party (CHP) the chance to form a government.
The CHP and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have both said they will not take part in an interim “election” government, leaving the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) as the only parliamentary partner for the AK Party.
The provisional government must be formed within five days of the decision to hold a new election being announced in the official gazette, which has not yet happened.
Due to the CHP and MHP’s refusal to take part, the ten ministries they would have been allocated will likely go to independent figures, leaving 12 portfolios for the AK Party and three for the HDP.
Another three vital ministries - interior, transport and justice - were originally intended for independents.
