After the mayors, ministers said to be next

With debate continuing in the AKP over the Ankara, Bursa and Balıkesir metropolitan municipality mayors still not having resigned despite being openly called on to do so by President and AKP General Chair Tayyip Erdoğan, claims of a cabinet reshuffle are now doing the rounds. There is also renewed talk of the holding of an early election in July 2018.
 
It is said that plans to hold an early election lie behind the taking of steps such as changing mayors and amendments that have been made at provincial administration level, and for this reason there will also be a reshuffle to the government that is to take the country into the elections.
 
TWO YEARS NOT EXPECTED TO BRING IMPROVEMENT
 
From a report based on party sources by Hürriyet’s Nuray Babacan, the AKP has concluded in the latest poll it commissioned that it will be able to get the vote it is looking for after the don’t knows have been distributed. It is claimed that this result will not get any better over the coming two-year period and expected developments in both the economy and politics against the global backdrop will make it hard to get a result at this level. There is talk of preventing a dissipation of strength in the run-up to 2019 and of not giving the party that Meral Akşener is to form the opportunity to find a resonance at the grassroots level. At this stage, there is trust in the MHP’s existing “limited” support.
 
Those who reason in this way are alleging that the presidential and general election may be held at the end of July prior to the local elections in March 2019. It is also argued that this will be paralleled by a cabinet reshuffle. A further claim is that an “election cabinet” will be formed in a reshuffle encompassing at least 3-4 ministers.