Turkey will probably hold an Erdogan early election in March or April 2028, a presidential adviser said, a move that would let President Recep Tayyip Erdogan run for office again.
Mehmet Ucum, an adviser to Erdogan, told reporters in Ankara that the timing now looked settled. Turkey’s next presidential and parliamentary votes are currently due in May 2028.
“It is now almost clear that the 2028 elections would be held in March or April,” Ucum said.
However, Ucum did not say what an earlier vote would mean for the president’s own plans. Even so, his comment came closer than any senior figure has to backing a proposal from Erdogan’s allies to bring the vote forward so he can run one more time.
Erdogan early election and term limits
Erdogan has ruled Turkey for nearly 23 years, first as prime minister and then as president. A 2017 referendum introduced an executive presidency, and Erdogan then won the presidency in 2018 and 2023.
The new system set a two-term limit. Still, the constitution allows a president to stand again if parliament calls an early vote before the end of the final five-year term.
Devlet Bahceli, leader of the nationalist MHP, which is allied with Erdogan, last week called on parliament to hold elections at “an appropriate time” to let “President Erdogan run for re-election.”
Opposition and parliament numbers
Turkey’s opposition also wants an early vote, but as a chance to challenge Erdogan’s economic policies rather than to give him another run. Greek City Times has previously reported on the pressure on Erdogan from the opposition.
“Reducing the issue to ‘how can we get Tayyip Erdogan re-elected as President’ is, from our point of view, simply unacceptable,” main opposition leader Ozgur Ozel said last week.
Calling an Erdogan early election requires a three-fifths majority, or 360 of the 600 lawmakers in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. As a result, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its allies, with 331 seats, need 29 more votes from other parties, Reuters reported.
Source: Kathimerini
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