Erdoğan targets 2028: The constitutional maneuver that could allow him to run again

Senior officials in Erdoğan's government in Turkey are signaling a direction for a 2028 run. The main obstacle is the two-term limit in the constitution. The solutions being considered: advancing the elections by a few weeks, amending the constitution, or a referendum. Each path requires a majority of 360 votes in parliament, but the coalition has only 328 seats.

Senior officials in the administration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are clearly signaling the direction for another run in the 2028 elections. The main obstacle is Article 101 of the Turkish constitution, which limits a president to two terms. Erdoğan was elected in 2018 and 2023, thus reaching the limit. The solutions being considered include advancing the elections by a few weeks using Article 116, which allows a president to run again if parliament decides to renew elections during his second term. Another path is a constitutional amendment, which also requires 360 votes. A third option is a referendum, which could grant public legitimacy but also carries the risk of turning into a vote of confidence in Erdoğan. The main political difficulty: the coalition has 328 seats, fewer than the required 360. The article quotes Uçum, who proposed holding the vote on April 16, 2028, a symbolic date marking the 2017 referendum that approved the transition to the presidential system.