Erdogan hints at possible candidacy for another term as president

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that he might run for another term as the country's leader. 

On January 11, Erdogan spoke at a congress of provincial branches of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Şanlıurfa, southeastern Türkiye, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

During the event, prominent Turkish singer Ibrahim Tatlıses asked the president whether he planned to run in the upcoming elections.

“If you’re in favour, then I’m in favour too,” Erdogan replied.

Notably, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a central figure in Turkish politics for over two decades, serving as both Prime Minister and President.

Erdogan became Prime Minister on March 14, 2003, following the Justice and Development Party's (AKP) victory in the 2002 general elections. He held this position until August 2014, making him the longest-serving Prime Minister in a single term in Turkish history.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was first elected as Türkiye's president in August 2014,

Erdogan was re-elected for a second term in May 2023, which will last for five years. During the election campaign, opposition parties argued that this was technically his third term, as he had served as president from 2014 to 2018 under a parliamentary system. However, Erdogan’s allies maintain that his tenure under the parliamentary system does not count under the current presidential system introduced in 2018.

By Khagan Isayev