On April 18, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held on June 24 — nearly a year and a half early. The decision follows consultations between Erdogan and political ally Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party. One day before Erdogan's announcement, Bahceli had made a call of his own for early elections, which had been scheduled for Nov. 3, 2019. The snap elections are a key test for Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), which despite holding a parliamentary majority, faces challenges that could erode its popularity. When the opposition Iyi Parti (the Good Party) emerged in late 2017, for example, it drew disillusioned members away from the ranks of both the ruling AKP and the Nationalist Movement Party.