Erdogan elected as president in 2014 after serving three terms as premier

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could run for another presidential term if parliament agrees to bring the country’s 2028 elections forward, a senior presidential adviser has said, reopening debate over the timing of the next vote.

Mehmet Uçum, a chief adviser to Erdogan, said an early election could be held on April 16, 2028, if at least 360 lawmakers support a parliamentary decision to renew the elections.

Under Turkish law, an election would normally be held in May that year.

But the constitution allows parliament to trigger early elections if such a move has the support of 360 of the Turkish parliament’s 600 lawmakers, which would open the way for Erdogan to seek another term.

Erdogan’s ruling AKP and its nationalist ally MHP control 326 seats in parliament.

Until now, the government has repeatedly insisted elections will be held on schedule.

Erdogan, 72, who came to power as prime minister in 2003, was elected president in 2014 after serving three terms as premier.

Following Turkiye’s switch to an executive presidential system, he was re-elected in 2018 and again in 2023.

The opposition has continued to challenge the government’s handling of the case and has demanded an early national vote.

The identity and eligibility of Erdogan’s main potential challenger in 2028 remain uncertain.

What Happens Next?

For an early election to be called, at least 360 of parliament’s 600 lawmakers would have to support the decision.

Erdogan’s governing alliance does not currently have enough seats on its own, meaning support from lawmakers outside the ruling bloc would be necessary.

For now, April 16, 2028 remains a proposed date rather than a formally announced election date. The next key issue is whether sufficient parliamentary support emerges for an early election and how the constitutional provisions governing Erdogan’s potential candidacy are applied.

Early election signal?

During a visit to his Black Sea home province of Rize last weekend, Erdogan appeared to signal a possible early vote, speaking to supporters of “the upcoming elections”.

“Within this unity and solidarity, I renew my belief that we will, God willing, successfully get through the upcoming elections,” Erdogan said.

The remarks were interpreted by observers as a possible reference to an early election but AKP spokesman Omer Celik dismissed the suggestion.

“It was not a signal of an early election. There is no election on our agenda,” he told reporters.

When he was re-elected for what he said would be his final term in May 2023, amid growing concerns over Turkiye’s economic outlook, Erdogan vowed to entrust the country’s future to “our youth”.

Opposition leader Ozgur Ozel has repeatedly called for an early election since the March 2025 jailing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely regarded as Erdogan’s main rival, over what critics have said is a politically-motivated graft probe.

Imamoglu was jailed on the same day the CHP formally nominated him as its candidate for the 2028 presidential election.

Following a controversial court ruling that reshaped the CHP leadership, Ozel launched the Yeni Parti (New Party) drawing support from enough MPs to take over as Turkiye’s main opposition force.

It remains unclear who would be the main opposition’s challenger to Erdogan, with Imamoglu unlikely to be able to run from behind bars.

Frequently accused by critics of authoritarian tendencies, particularly after the failed July 2016 coup and the sweeping purges that followed, Erdogan remains popular among his supporters, who see him as the only leader capable of resisting Western pressure and steering Turkiye through regional and international crises.