Turkish PM returns mandate to form govt after coalition talks fail; new vote expected
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has returned a mandate to form a new government after possible coalition talks with two main parties collapsed.
Davutoglu handed back the mandate Tuesday during a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
It was not known if Erdogan, who reportedly favors a new election, would give another party leader the chance to try to form a new government. The deadline for a new government runs out at week's end. Erdogan is widely expected to call a new election and appoint an interim government.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The ruling party, which Erdogan founded, lost its parliamentary majority in the June election. Its current leader, Davutoglu, last week failed to form an alliance with Turkey's pro-secular party. Talks with the country's nationalist party collapsed Monday.