Europe · 17 September, 2026 · 2 min read
Mehmet Uçum Says Erdoğan Will Seek Another Term in Turkey’s April 16, 2028 Election
Erdoğan will run for another presidential term in an early election likely April 16, 2028. Statement by Mehmet Uçum, Erdoğan's senior adviser, citing NTV and Cumhuriyet.
20 outlets, one story, no spin found.
7 of 8 outlets skipped it: rights groups warn about crackdown on Erdoğan opponents.
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April 16 path
A senior adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Erdoğan will seek another presidential term in an election expected to be held on April 16, 2028, if parliament votes to bring the vote forward during Erdoğan’s current term.
““I assume the elections will be held on April 16, 2028.””
Mehmet Uçum, a presidential adviser and deputy chairman of the Presidential Legal Policies Board, told the Turkish Press Council, according to Turkish media reports: “I assume the elections will be held on April 16, 2028.”
Uçum said the date would coincide with the anniversary of Turkey’s 2017 referendum that approved the transition to an executive presidential system, and he predicted Erdoğan would run “for the last time.”
Under Article 116 of Turkey’s constitution, parliament may vote to hold presidential and parliamentary elections before the end of the president’s term, and if it does so during the president’s second term the incumbent may stand once more.
360 votes needed
Multiple outlets tied the April 16 scenario to a parliamentary threshold requiring 360 votes out of 600 seats, with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its nationalist ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) needing support beyond their alliance.
Al-Monitor reported that the AKP led by Erdoğan and the MHP “do not have enough seats to reach the 360-vote threshold on their own,” requiring lawmakers outside their alliance.
France 24 said parliament can trigger early elections given the support of 360 lawmakers, and it reported that the AKP and MHP hold 326 seats, meaning they would need the support of at least 34 more lawmakers.
In the same framing, CP24 said “If 360 lawmakers back a decision to call a new election, it will be held on April 16, 2028,” and it described that as opening the way for Erdoğan to seek another term.
Term limits and opposition
The proposed early-election route is presented as a way for Erdoğan to sidestep constitutional term limits, with France 24 saying the move would allow him to “sidestep a constitutional provision limiting a president from serving more than two five-year terms.”
“sidestep a constitutional provision limiting a president from serving more than two five-year terms”
France 24 also cited Erdoğan’s own past statements, including that he said: “I have no intention of being re-elected or running for president again.”
Al-Monitor added that human rights organizations have expressed concern about the treatment of Erdoğan’s opponents, naming Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was arrested in 2025 and remains in detention on corruption charges that he and his supporters reject as politically motivated.
In that context, Al-Monitor reported that Human Rights Watch and other organizations described the case as part of a broader crackdown on the opposition in the country, while the government and Erdoğan have repeatedly said elections will be held on schedule.