The Turkish president for the first time mentioned the possibility of giving up power after more than two decades of leading the country.
“I am working non-stop. I was so dizzy that I thought I forgot to breathe, because for me this election was also the last. With current legal regulations, this will be my last election,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on March 8, during a meeting with the TUGVA youth association in Istanbul.
The 70-year-old politician is confident that his Justice and Development Party (AKP) will continue to hold power even if he leaves politics. He said the results of this local election will be "a blessing for our brothers who are about to follow in their footsteps."
“The election will be a transfer of trust,” Mr. Erdogan said.
About 64 million Turkish voters are eligible to participate in the March 31 election to elect new personnel for the positions of mayors and leaders of local public agencies, in 3 provinces and administrative districts above. country.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks in Budapest, Hungary on December 18, 12. Image: AFP
APK is hoping to regain the mayor's seat of Istanbul, after losing to the opposition party in 2019. Mr. Erdogan also held the position of mayor of Istanbul.
This is the first time President Erdogan has publicly commented on the possibility of ending more than two decades of leading the country, according to Turkish media.
He was elected prime minister in 2003, during a period when it remained the most powerful position in Turkish politics. After three consecutive terms as prime minister, he was elected president in 2014.
Türkiye reformed its constitution in 2017, transitioning from a parliamentary to a presidential system. The reform also eliminated the position of prime minister in the cabinet and guaranteed supreme power to President Erdogan.
He was re-elected president for the third time in May 5 for a five-year term, amid fierce opposition from the opposition because the constitution stipulates that a person can only hold two consecutive presidential terms. The Election Commission then concluded that Mr. Erdogan was still eligible to run, because the constitution was amended in 2023 in the middle of his first term and this period was not applicable.
Ercan Ozcan, a Turkish opposition activist, voiced skepticism about Mr. Erdogan's "final election" claim. He accused the 70-year-old leader of "will again seek to amend the constitution to ensure continued re-election."
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