TURKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will seek unprecedented powers for himself in coming elections, peace campaigners said yesterday.

Mr Erdogan formally called for a new election late on Monday, following the failure of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) to form a coalition government.

Mr Erdogan’s hopes for a parliamentary super-majority of 400 MPs in the 550-seat parliament — enabling amendments to the constitution to establish a US-style presidential system of government — were dashed in June when voters returned a hung parliament.

The conservative president has been criticised for flouting constitutional rules on the neutrality and independence of the presidency from partisan politics.

The Pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) exceeded the 10 per cent threshold for parliamentary representation for the first time, winning 80 seats.

But last month the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) killed two police officers who it claimed were working with Islamic State (Isis) militants who bombed a Kurdish youth gathering in the southern town of Suruc.

The AKP has repeatedly been accused of allowing arms and recruits to flow unimpeded to Isis in Syria.

The government responded with a crackdown on the PKK both in Turkey and Iraq under the cover of fighting Islamic State (Isis) militants.

However, the HDP is the only opposition party not to have ruled out joining the interim government.

Peace in Kurdistan campaign representative David Morgan argued that holding an election amid the anti-PKK campaign was just part of Mr Erdogan’s power-play.

“The June result effectively blocked Erdogan’s attempts to transform the Turkish constitution into a presidential system of government, which many believe is a great threat to democracy given Erdogan’s increasingly intolerant politics and drift to authoritarianism,” said Mr Morgan.

“Erdogan is no doubt now hoping that the new election will see a fall in the HDP’s support base and that social tensions in the country will be a deciding factor on how people will vote.

“It is by no means certain, however, that tensions will work in Erdogan’s favour.”

Mr Erdogan appointed sitting AKP Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday to head an interim government until the elections in two months’ time.

The provisional election date of November 1 must be confirmed by the High Election Board.