MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli called on parliament to officially take action to renew presidential elections for 2028, a move to pave the way for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to run again.
Addressing his party’s parliamentary group, Bahçeli reaffirmed that Erdoğan remains the sole candidate for the ruling People’s Alliance.
'Erdoğan in the executive, MHP in the legislature (branch); People's Alliance in Turkey, Turkish Century in the World,' Bahçeli said, framing his proposal as the political formula for Turkey’s continued progress.
Under Article 116 of the Turkish Constitution, a sitting president in their second term can seek a third term only if parliament approves an early election with a three-fifths majority, requiring 360 votes. Erdoğan was elected under the presidential system in 2018 and 2023.
Bahçeli’s remarks build on recent arguments by Presidential Chief Legal Advisor Mehmet Uçum, who deemed the continuation of Erdoğan’s presidency 'inevitable' and advocated for elections in spring 2028 alongside reforms to electoral laws and parliamentary bylaws.
Journalist Yavuz Baydar wrote that Bahçeli’s maneuver corners opposition parties that have long demanded early elections. By inviting them to vote for an election renewal prior to May 2028, the ruling alliance forces the opposition to accept Erdoğan’s re-run.
With potential rival candidates like jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and former HDP Chair Selahattin Demirtaş sidelined by legal challenges, and uncertainty over Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş’s candidacy after his visit to Erdoğan, Baydar sees a carefully structured path emerging.
According to Baydar, to secure the 360 votes needed in parliament, the AKP-MHP coalition is expected to deepen engagement with the DEM Party while introducing electoral law revisions by early 2027 to lower the election threshold and appeal to smaller opposition parties.
