Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a conference in Istanbul, September 28, 2024. Photo: Turkish presidency
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday dismissed the opposition’s calls for snap elections, stating that the government will stay until its term ends in 2028.
“As the government and the alliance, we are making all our plans according to 2028. We are trying to use the authority given by the nation in the elections of May 14-28 in the best and most efficient way,” Erdogan said during an investors’ meeting in Istanbul.
Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the country’s parliamentary and presidential votes in May 2023, solidifying his position as the country’s head until 2028.
AKP’s bitter defeat in local elections against the opposition’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) in March, coupled with the ongoing economic crisis pushed the opposition to call for snap elections.
Earlier this month CHP leader Ozgur Ozel urged Erdogan to call for snap elections in November 2025.
Additionally, during an interview with Artigercek, a pro-Kurdish news outlet, Tulay Hatimogullari, the co-chair of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) said “there should be early elections in this country. Early elections are urgent, necessary, and essential," she said.
Erdogan however, disregarded the calls for early elections.
"We view the opposition's discussions of elections, which are brought up to cover their internal conflicts, as futile. Turkey has 3.5 golden years ahead without elections," Erdogan said.
Earlier this year, the Turkish president announced that the country’s local elections in March were his last, and Turkish laws will not allow him to run for office again. Days following the announcement, Former Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said Erdogan can run again if the country goes to early elections.
Erdogan is the only president in Turkish history elected directly through a public vote and has served three terms. His first term came after winning the 2014 election. Following a 2017 referendum on amendments to several constitutional articles that changed the country’s system from parliamentary to presidential, he won a third presidential term.
Another Erdogan run for office would mark his fourth presidential term. Bozdag in his statement considered that his first term had begun following the 2017 referendum, despite having already served from 2014 to 2018.
CHP’s Ozel said earlier this month during a televised interview that his party wants to come to power by defeating Erdogan in snap elections.
Erdogan was previously prime minister for 11 years and before that was mayor of Istanbul.
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