The spokesperson for the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) announced that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's candidacy in upcoming elections was on their agenda. Ömer Çelik told reporters that if the public wants to see him, Erdoğan may run again.
Erdoğan has rarely been explicit about his intention to run again but the issue was brought up to the spotlight last weekend after an exchange between Erdoğan and famed singer and Erdoğan supporter Ibrahim Tatlıses during an event in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa. "I am in if you are," Erdoğan told the former hopeful for parliamentary elections when Tatlıses asked if he would run in the next election. Türkiye is scheduled to hold its presidential election in 2028.
As he spoke to reporters after the central executive committee meeting of the AK Party on Monday, Çelik said this issue was on their agenda "as those of us marching with our president. We are pleased that this is brought up (in Şanlıurfa) and (with the response of Erdoğan). So, just as the president said, we are in if he is. We will see about a formula. In politics, one year is a very short time, one day is very long. What is important is that our people want it," he added. "Under current circumstances and considering developments in our region, you can see how the experience and political will of our president is valuable both for our country and the region," Çelik also said.
Erdoğan was elected president in 2023 in his first runoff, cementing his place in Turkish politics. He dominated as prime minister and president for more than two decades, a record for any Turkish politician. His tenure will end in 2028. He is serving his last term as president unless Parliament calls an early election, according to the Constitution.
Another Erdoğan term is possible through a constitutional change that can be put to a referendum. It will need the approval of 360 lawmakers in Parliament. The AK Party and its main ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) fall short of the required number of seats in Parliament. Similarly, an early election needs the support of 360 lawmakers in the 600-seat Parliament. But the opposition's support for the candidacy of Erdoğan may pave the way for the process.
It is unclear who the AK Party will pick if Erdoğan decides not to run again. He is the favorite candidate even for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), whose unlucky streak against the AK Party was partly broken when it defeated some AK Party mayors in the March 31, 2023 vote. The CHP seeks to boast about defeating the almost invincible leader of the country while its leader Özgür Özel recently said it would be “a healthy democratic process” if Erdoğan runs again and they win against him. The CHP is a major proponent of an early election.
