Turkey is likely to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections of 2028 earlier than the anticipated date. This move allows President Tayyip Erdoğan to bypass legal restrictions and compete again for the presidency.
Possible Election Dates
According to Erdoğan's advisor, Mohammed Oğuz, the elections may take place in March or April 2028. Currently, the election date is set for May of the same year. Oğuz told reporters in Ankara, "It is now almost clear that the 2028 elections will be held in March or April."
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Support for Changing the Election Date
Oğuz did not explicitly discuss the implications of this change in timing for the President's plans, but this is the closest statement a senior official has publicly supported a proposal put forth by Erdoğan's allies to change the election schedule. Erdoğan has been in power as Prime Minister and then President of Turkey for nearly 23 years.
After a referendum in 2017, a new executive presidential system was approved, allowing Erdoğan to be re-elected as President in 2018 and 2023. Although this new system has set a two-term limit, the constitution allows him to run again if Parliament calls for early elections.
Opposition parties have also called for early elections, but their aim is to challenge Erdoğan's economic policies, not to provide him with another opportunity. Özgür Özel, the main opposition leader, said last week, "Reducing the issue to 'how can we re-elect Tayyip Erdoğan as President' is simply unacceptable to us."
The nationalist MHP party, led by Devlet Bahçeli, requested Parliament last week to announce the elections at the appropriate time so that Erdoğan can run for President again. A three-fifths majority in Parliament, or 360 out of 600 lawmakers, is needed to call for early elections. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its allies hold 331 seats, so this conservative coalition needs 29 more votes from other parties, which could itself be a challenge.
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