Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called snap elections, bringing Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential polls forward by more than a year as concerns grow about the health of the economy and flagging support for his ruling party.

The Turkish president had repeatedly ruled out early elections, insisting they would be held in November next year as planned. He sought to justify the sudden U-turn by citing national security concerns, including instability in Syria and Iraq, and the need to hasten the transition to an executive presidency.

“Even though the president and government are working in unison, the diseases of the old system confront us at every step we take,” Mr Erdogan told the media yesterday. “Developments in Syria and elsewhere have made it urgent to switch to the new executive system in order to take steps for our country’s future in a stronger way.”