Turkey should keep state of emergency for some time: ruling party ally

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey should extend its nearly two-year state of emergency for some more time, a senior member of the nationalist MHP party allied to President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party said on Tuesday.

Turkey imposed the state of emergency, which limits some freedoms and allows the government to rule by decrees bypassing parliament, after a failed military coup in July 2016. Erdogan has said he will lift the state of emergency soon.

Mustafa Kalayci, MHP deputy chairman, also told CNN Turk broadcaster that his party would not bargain with the president over seats in Turkey’s new cabinet following Sunday’s elections, in which the AKP and the MHP secured a parliamentary majority.