Turkey’s parliament approves early elections called by President Erdogan

Turkey’s parliament has approved holding the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections a year and a half early. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier said the change is needed because of uncertainties over Syria. Legislators voted overwhelmingly in favor of holding the elections on June 24, AP reports. The polls previously were scheduled for November 2019. The early date hastens Turkey’s switch to an executive presidential system that will abolish the office of the prime minister and give the president more powers. This change was narrowly approved in a 2017 referendum and takes effect after the next election.