MOSCOW, February 8 – RIA Novosti. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to hold a general election in Turkey on May 14 despite the earthquake, the agency reported. Bloomberg referring to authorities familiar with the situation.

“Officials familiar with the discussions said that Erdogan announced the 90-day measures (in connection with the earthquake) and immediately afterward that he plans to hold elections on May 14, as originally planned,” the agency said.

According to sources, the 90-day state of emergency in Turkey could end sooner.

Faced with one of the toughest electoral races in his two decades in power, Erdogan declared a 90-day state of emergency on Tuesday. This will enable Turkey to take urgent security and financial measures in areas affected by the natural disaster that killed more than 7,000 people. Parliament is expected to approve the measure on Wednesday.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey on Monday morning. According to President Tayyip Erdogan, he was the strongest since 1939. The same day, the earthquake repeated with a magnitude of 7.6. According to the latest data, the death toll in Turkey exceeded 7.1 thousand and the number of injured exceeded 40.9 thousand.