Türkiye reveals the possibility of holding early elections that would allow Erdogan to run

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An advisor to the Turkish president said Thursday that the country will likely hold elections in 2028 earlier than expected, allowing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to run for a new term.

The next presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in May of that year. "It has now become almost clear that the 2028 elections will be held in March or April," Erdogan's advisor Mehmet Ojum told reporters in Ankara.

Ojom did not clarify what this means for the president’s plans to run for a new term. But this is the first time that a senior official has announced support for a proposal put forward by Erdogan’s allies to change the election date to enable him to run again.

Erdogan has been in power in Türkiye for nearly 23 years, initially serving as prime minister before assuming the presidency.

A referendum in 2017 led to the adoption of a new executive presidential system that allowed Erdogan to be re-elected as president twice more, in 2018 and 2023.

This new system stipulates that the maximum presidential term is only two terms, but the constitution allows him to run again if Parliament calls for early elections before he completes his last term of five years.

A call for early elections requires a majority in Parliament of three-fifths of representatives, or 360 out of 600 representatives. The ruling Justice and Development Party, led by Erdogan and its allies, holds 331 seats.