While the opposition is pushing for an early election and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has in recent months hinted at his willingness to run again in the 2028 elections, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) maintains that the current head of state should continue to “serve the people” and, therefore, repeat as a candidate for the Presidency.
In an interview with Turkish broadcaster Kanal 7 yesterday, in which he also responded to questions about a possible early election, AKP deputy chairman Ahmet Büyükgümüş defended Erdoğan as the presidential candidate again and took the opportunity to review the party’s achievements in recent years. “One of the most important innovations that the AKP has brought to politics is that it works on the basis of the ballot box. We do politics by looking at 100% of society; we don’t say ‘we are going to get the votes of this segment’…. We address the whole of society,” he said.
Referring to the reconstruction after the devastating earthquakes of February 2023, Büyükgümüş noted that after the elections held that same year, the government focused on rebuilding the affected areas. “We handed over the keys of new houses to 455,000 of our citizens. We talk about the achievement of rebuilding a geographical area the size of Portugal. It’s not just houses; roads, hospitals and everything a city needs, has been built,” he said of the efforts in the region after the earthquakes, which left more than 53,000 people dead.
Asked about repeated calls by the Republican People’s Party (CHP) – Turkey’s main opposition party – for early elections in the country, Büyükgümüş replied that “it is normal in politics; the CHP wants early elections… But then they are held, and the AKP and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan win,” he said. However, the AK Parti‘s number two insisted that there will be no early elections before 2028, as the opposition is demanding: “One of the most important promises we made when we introduced the (presidentialist) system of government was the emphasis on stability. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received in 2023 the mandate to rule this country for five years,” he said, adding that “We believe that our President should run again, win the elections and continue to serve our nation“.
On this point, Büyükgümüş referred to one of the formulas to allow Erdoğan to opt for a new and third mandate, despite the fact that the Constitution theoretically imposes a limit of two; one of the ways would be to seek an electoral advance: not immediately or for this year, as the opposition demands, but at least several months before the date scheduled for the presidential elections, tentatively scheduled for 14 May 2028. In this regard, Büyükgümüş recalled that a decision to bring forward the elections must be taken by the Grand National Assembly with 360 votes. “Therefore, there could be a technical adjustment of the date. It will be up to the Parliament to make this decision. We are working to achieve it,” he assured.
Erdoğan has more than 50% of the vote
Speaking about the polls, Büyükgümüş said they show that since January, the AKP is widening the gap with the CHP. “Mr Özel (CHP leader) needs to keep repeating that they are the first party… Has there ever been a time when our president (Erdoğan) constantly claimed that the AKP is the leading party?” he asked, while alluding to internal tensions in the main opposition formation. “The person in Silivri (jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu) gives instructions every week. They try to follow those orders and transfer what one person says to the whole party… Within the party there are those who are close to the person in Silivri, and there are those who are not,” the AKP party’s number two said.
“The fact is that the People’s Alliance (between AKP and MHP) continues to dominate politics. These (vote share) figures may fluctuate, go up or down every month, but it is necessary to measure the long-term trend. And in that trend, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has a support in votes of more than 50%,” he stressed.
The AKP vice president concluded by pointing out that, after 2023, the current government received two mandates from the citizens: to rebuild the regions affected by the earthquakes and to tackle the problems of the economy, especially the high inflation in Turkey. “We have fulfilled the first in the best possible way. We see 2026 and 2027 as an opportunity to overcome the economic problems. In 2028, we will give an account to our nation and say: ‘We have fulfilled these two terms, and now we ask for permission again to continue for another five years‘,” Büyükgümüş commented.
Over the past year, the current Turkish president has made it increasingly clear that he is willing to run again if he has the necessary support. According to the current Turkish Constitution, the President of the Republic can only serve two five-year terms, so Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would not be able to run again in 2028 if the elections are held on schedule and without legal changes. However, the constitutional text envisages two paths that would open up this possibility: an early election ordered by the Turkish parliament (which requires the support of 360 of the 600 deputies), or a constitutional reform that modifies the term limit, which would be more complicated as it would require parliamentary approval and, foreseeably, a referendum.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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