RECENT reports suggest that a general election in Turkey could be looming, national media has reported.

The next election is planned for June 7, next year, but it could be as early as April 12.

Upon recent reports in the Turkish media that the Supreme Election Board (YSK) had begun to prepare, in case the upcoming general elections are brought forward and held on an earlier date, the opposition parties have defiantly said they are ready for a snap election.

“Let’s have a snap election immediately. Regardless of the arrival of winter, let’s make the decision [to conduct the general elections] right away,” said Gürsel Tekin, secretary-general of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), said.

Tekin added that the last judicial package revealed the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) panic and added that a snap election would also serve as a referendum on the judicial package.

The general elections are scheduled to take place on June 7 of next year. But given that the YSK has begun work, it is also possible that the general elections may be moved forward to April, with the 12th or 26th appearing to be likely dates, Turkish media previously reported.

“Taking into consideration that the general elections scheduled to be held on June 7, 2015 may be brought to an earlier date, the YSK has [immediately] launched work [on the election],” the Hürriyet daily said on Friday.

However the YSK has denied the report claiming it already started preparations for early general elections.