In the wake of Sunday's elections Turkey's new government will take necessary steps to the lift the state of emergency, a government spokesman confirmed yesterday.
Speaking to the news channel A Haber, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ said that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has a strong will to lift the state of emergency and the government will take steps for this. "The will is clear. There is a will to lift the state of emergency and the framework and time period of this will be determined and we will take steps accordingly," Bozdağ said.
Turkey first declared a state of emergency on July 20, 2016, following the deadly coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which killed 250 people and left 2,200 injured. Parliament voted in April to extend the state of emergency by another three months for the seventh time. In the year-and-a-half since, security forces have arrested thousands suspected of involvement in the coup bid - many holding positions in the government and military - and are thought to pose a continuing threat.
In the run-up to Sunday's polls, however, Erdoğan spoke of lifting the state of emergency. Speaking at a live interview on the CNN Turk news channel, Erdoğan said on June 8 that his government will discuss in details and make necessary assessments to lift the state of emergency. "Our fight against the FETÖ continues with the same tempo as on day one," Erdoğan added.
