Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would consider calls from his far-right nationalist ally to hold game-changing presidential and parliamentary elections earlier than the scheduled date of Nov. 3, 2019. The call by Devlet Bahceli, the head of the Nationalist Action Party, to bring forward elections — possibly to Aug. 26 — sent tremors through the political establishment, with opposition parties scrambling to come up with credible presidential candidates and tactical alliances that might deprive Erdogan of a second term.

Until now, Erdogan had angrily denounced mounting speculation about snap polls amid deepening financial troubles and growing unease of his authoritarian grip on power, saying the elections would be held as planned. But in an apparent shift, a poker-faced Erdogan told reporters today he was meeting with Bahceli tomorrow in Ankara. “We will evaluate [these] matters there,” he said. Erdogan noted he had nothing further to add other than that he had already aired his views on early elections. But he stopped short of saying these remain unchanged, thus implying he might be open to persuasion.

Government spokesman Bekir Bozdag reinforced predictions that early elections are on the cards. He said, “The [ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)] has a tradition of holding elections on time, and we have stated that the vote will take place as scheduled. But authorized party organs should assess this and it will be debated.”

The presidential elections are poised to fundamentally transform politics in Turkey. Whoever wins will be endowed with sweeping powers. Under the new rules that were narrowly approved in an April 2017 referendum marred by allegations of fraud, the post of the prime minister will be abolished. The president will have the authority to appoint Cabinet ministers and, most significantly, to issue decrees with the force of law. The president will also appoint 12 of the 15 judges in the Constitutional Court.