ANKARA: Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s efforts to forge a coalition alliance with the country’s pro-secular party have failed, edging the country closer toward new elections. Davutoglu told reporters Thursday that the two party leaders had not reached common ground for a power-sharing deal.

The development pushes Turkey into political uncertainty at a time when it is faced with a sharp surge of violence and the country is taking a more front-line role in a US-led campaign against the Daesh group.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was reported to favor renewed elections in the fall, in the hope that the ruling party, which he founded, can regain the parliamentary majority it lost in elections in June.