Erdogan May Trim Key Election Pledge to Minimize Budget Cost

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may dial down plans to offer early retirement to employees in the state and private sector because of concerns about strain on the budget, senior Turkish officials said Thursday.

Early retirement is a key pledge ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections that will be held by June. Those original plans have been estimated to cover 1.5 million people, but now Erdogan is considering an alternative which would affect fewer employees, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.