Erdogan Says He Will "Definitely Win Upcoming Election," Hinting at Early Vote and Re-run

Amid speculations that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will push to extend his term through an early presidential election, remarks hinting directly at the election schedule have drawn attention.

According to Turkish opposition-leaning media outlets such as the daily Sozcu on Thursday, local time, President Erdogan said during a speech the previous night while visiting his hometown of Rize Guneysu in northeastern Turkey, "With God's will, I once again believe that we will definitely win the upcoming election."

President Erdogan emphasized to the residents, "I hope your unity and solidarity will last forever."

Turkish Minute, an independent media outlet based in Germany, pointed out, "This is the first time President Erdogan has referred to Turkey's next election as 'approaching.'"

The outlet analyzed that while Erdogan did not mention a specific date this time or explicitly call for an "early election," he "hinted at the possibility of the election being held earlier than the scheduled date of May 14, 2028."

It further explained that an early election could allow President Erdogan to once again become eligible to run for office.

Ozgur Ozel, leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), hit back that day, stating, "President Erdogan may overcome illnesses, difficulties, and crises, but he will not be able to win the election, which is the hope of the people," as reported by the daily Cumhuriyet.

Ozel added, "We will work hard to change this government."

President Erdogan has been in power for 23 years since taking office as prime minister in 2003.

He won the country's first direct presidential election in 2014 to become president, and the government system changed from a parliamentary system to a presidential system following a constitutional amendment in 2017.

Afterwards, President Erdogan also won the 2023 presidential election.

Turkey's current constitution only permits a president to serve two terms, but it stipulates that if an early general election and presidential election are held to simultaneously re-elect all members of parliament and the president during a serving president's term, eligibility to run for president is granted once again.

While a constitutional amendment revising term-limit regulations could also make President Erdogan's re-run possible, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) reportedly shifted its direction last year after concluding that regaining power through an early election would be more rational.

In Turkish political circles, speculations have been raised that President Erdogan and the AKP could carry out an early election in the second half of 2027 or early 2028.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.