Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has implied that he may run for re-election in 2028, despite previously announcing that the 2024 local elections would be his final political campaign.
İbrahim Tatlıses, a famous Turkish singer of Arabic and Kurdish descent, performed on Sunday at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) 8th ordinary provincial congress in Şanlıurfa province.
Following his performance, Tatlıses asked AKP leader Erdoğan if he would run for the presidency again, adding, “Let’s get a promise from him.”
Erdoğan responded by saying, “If you’re in, I’m in.”
The president’s remarks came after he had previously said that the country’s 2024 local elections would be his last, suggesting an end to his more than two decades in power.
The then-70-year-old leader expressed confidence that his conservative AKP would remain in power even after he left office, adding that the results of the March 31 local elections would be “a blessing for the brothers who come after me.”
Despite announcing that this would be his last election, there have been claims that Erdoğan is seeking a constitutional amendment to allow for another term at head of state.
According to the Turkish Constitution, presidential and parliamentary elections must be held simultaneously. The most recent general election was in May 2023, when Erdoğan secured another term as president. The next is scheduled for 2028.
The constitution also stipulates that the president can only serve a renewable five-year term if elections are held as scheduled. Erdoğan was first elected president under the parliamentary system in 2014. However, this is not counted as his first term since it was not under the presidential system of governance Turkey adopted following a referendum in 2017.
If snap elections were held in 2027 before the end of the second term, an additional term would be permitted.
Meanwhile, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Özgür Özel responded to Erdoğan’s remarks with a challenge while answering journalists’ questions after a visit to the Çiğli Municipality in İzmir.
Özel suggested that if Erdoğan wanted to run for another term, a parliamentary decision for early elections would require the ruling party’s support, as 360 out of 600 lawmakers’ votes are needed, which the opposition lacks.
“If they have the courage, we can make a decision on elections this week. The ball is in their court. … We’re ready, whether the election is in March or October,” the CHP leader said.
Under the presidential system, Erdoğan is accused by critics of establishing one-man rule, engaging in massive corruption and using the state’s resources for the benefit of his family and cronies while the Turkish people are overwhelmed by the increasing cost of living caused by the depreciation of the Turkish lira and record levels of inflation.