Erdogan will be able to run for president for a third time in 2028
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be able to run for a third consecutive term in the 2028 presidential election under an exceptional provision defined by the constitution.
This was reported to the Anadolu news agency by the chief adviser to the Turkish leader and deputy chairman of the Presidential Administration's Legal Policy Council, Mehmet Ucum.
He explained that the scheduled date for the next parliamentary and presidential elections should be considered May 7, 2028, and not May 14, as some observers and analysts claim. "The elections must be held before the end of the five-year term [of the president and parliament]. Since the last general elections were held on May 14, 2023, the next ones will take place on the Sunday preceding May 14, 2028. That is, May 7, 2028," Ucum noted.
He recalled that the option of holding the elections on an earlier date, April 16, 2028, is currently being discussed. "The date we propose, April 16, 2028, is not an 'early election' in the political and social sense. It is simply moving the scheduled elections three weeks earlier. This decision is made by parliament and not three weeks before the elections, but can be made between February 9 and 15, 2028," the presidential adviser said.
In that case, he said, the constitution gives Erdogan, who has already served two consecutive maximum terms in office, the legal right to run for a third time. "The constitution sets a limit of two presidential terms. There is one exception to this rule: if parliament decides to hold new elections during the second presidential term, the person who has served two terms may run for a third time. Legally, this is called an exceptional candidacy. The constitution explicitly states this," he said.
At the same time, Ucum called for a correct understanding of such a situation, which could arise if the elections are moved to an earlier date, and not to see in this an attempt to manipulate the text of the constitution. He also recalled that the practice of moving the voting date by several weeks has already been used in Turkey in previous years, and this did not mean holding early elections. The corresponding decision of parliament, he said, "is not obliged to be linked to any exceptional circumstances" or an emergency situation in the country.
"We can confidently expect that the next general elections will be held on schedule in 2028, but will be moved to a slightly earlier date. These elections will give our President Erdogan the opportunity to run for office for the last time in accordance with the provision in the constitution," he said.
Source: TASS
