ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could seek another term if parliament approves an early election in April 2028, one of his top advisers said, according to Turkish media reports.
Mehmet Ucum said that if 360 lawmakers support a decision to call an early election, voting could be held on April 16, 2028, private broadcaster NTV and Cumhuriyet newspaper reported.
Under Turkish law, the next presidential and parliamentary elections would normally be held in May 2028. However, the constitution allows parliament to bring the elections forward if the proposal receives the backing of at least 360 of the 600 members of parliament.
Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its nationalist ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), currently control 326 seats, meaning they would need support from lawmakers outside their alliance to reach the required threshold.
The government has so far repeatedly said that elections will be held on schedule.
Erdogan, 72, became prime minister in 2003 and was elected president in 2014 after serving three terms as prime minister. He was re-elected in 2018 and again in 2023 after Turkey adopted an executive presidential system.
Erdogan remarks fuel early election speculation
Speculation over an early election intensified after Erdogan referred to “the upcoming elections” during a visit to his home province of Rize on the Black Sea coast last weekend.
“Within this unity and solidarity, I renew my belief that we will, God willing, successfully get through the upcoming elections,” Erdogan said while addressing supporters.
The remarks were interpreted by some observers as a possible reference to an early vote. However, AKP spokesman Omer Celik rejected the suggestion, saying Erdogan had not been signalling an early election.
“It was not a signal of an early election. There is no election on our agenda,” Celik told reporters.
Erdogan had described the 2023 presidential election, which he won for another term, as his final mandate and said he wanted to entrust Turkey’s future to its younger generation.
The possibility of an early election has also been repeatedly raised by opposition leader Ozgur Ozel, who has called for a vote ahead of schedule since the March 2025 detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
Imamoglu, regarded by the opposition as a leading challenger to Erdogan, was detained over a corruption investigation that critics described as politically motivated. He was jailed on the same day the Republican People’s Party (CHP) formally nominated him as its candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
A subsequent court ruling reshaped the CHP leadership, while Ozel later launched the Yeni Parti, or New Party, which gained support from enough lawmakers to become the country’s main opposition force, according to the reports.
The identity of the main opposition challenger to Erdogan remains uncertain, while Imamoglu’s imprisonment could prevent him from contesting the election.
Erdogan has faced criticism from opponents over his increasingly centralised system of government, particularly following the failed 2016 coup and subsequent purges. His supporters, meanwhile, credit him with strengthening Turkey’s position internationally and maintaining an independent foreign policy.
