Erdogan Asks PM Davutoglu to Form New Government

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday asked Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to form the new government, over a month after legislative elections in which the ruling party lost its overall majority.

Erdogan mandated Justice and Development Party (AKP) chief Davutoglu to form the new government in talks at his presidential palace in Ankara, the presidency said in a short statement on its website.

Davutoglu now has 45 days to form a coalition, after which new elections can be called.

The loss of the AKP's majority in the June 7 elections was seen as a blow for the ruling party as well as the authority of Erdogan himself, who has dominated Turkey from 2003-2014 as premier and since August last year as president.

The AKP have 258 seats in the 550-seat parliament, the Republican People's Party (CHP) 132, and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) 80 apiece.

NTV television quoted sources in the prime minister's office as saying Davutoglu would seek to hold talks with all of the opposition parties by next Wednesday to sound them out on a coalition.