Türkiye needs a robust government and a strong political will to recover from the recent disasters and their direct and indirect impacts, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday following a Cabinet meeting and announced that the official process for Türkiye’s presidential elections would launch on March 10.

Emphasizing that Türkiye "cannot afford to waste time, and energy or be distracted at this critical moment," Erdogan said the priority is "to focus on the recovery process without getting bogged down in political discussions."

Erdoğan stressed the importance of leaving behind the election process as soon as possible to avoid any deviation from the recovery agenda. The focus will remain on the recent earthquakes and the recovery efforts.

"What Türkiye needs is full focus on healing the wounds in the earthquake zones and making up for the losses in an immediate manner," the president said, adding that it was necessary to leave aside political and election tensions.

"We cannot accept an election campaign covered with political quarrels, arguments and disputes when a part of our country is destroyed and 10 million people lost their homes, jobs and peace," he added.

The president also said that they would soon publish a Presidential Decree to ensure that earthquake survivors, who had to change cities and addresses, could cast their votes.

Last Wednesday, Erdoğan dispelled rumors that elections may be postponed in the aftermath of the country's deadliest earthquakes last month, saying the public's willpower will prevail on May 14, pointing to a final date for the vote.

The elections are expected to be a tight race according to the opposition alliance while some polls show Erdoğan's clear lead against the six-party alliance, commonly dubbed the "table for six." The alliance announced main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as their candidate after heated discussions and disagreements.

The opposition bloc has been delaying settling on a candidate for the past year since the election atmosphere has gripped Türkiye. They were scheduled to reveal their nominee on Feb. 13, a date announced before the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Türkiye’s southeast.