Turkey president announces election date as he tries to extend decades in power

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a survivor hug each other after February’s huge earthquake (Turkish Presidency/AP )

Turkey’s president has formally set the country’s parliamentary and presidential elections for May 14 – a month earlier than scheduled despite last month’s devastating earthquake.

The elections could be the nation’s most significant vote in decades by determining whether Turkey will take a more democratic path or continue on the increasingly authoritarian course set by Recep Tayyip Erdogan.