Justice Minister Confirms 2028 Election Will Be Held to Re-Elect Erdoğan

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek told AKP lawmakers that 'an election will be held to re-elect our esteemed President,' the first official confirmation that Erdoğan intends to seek re-election via early elections called by parliament. A presidential adviser had floated April 16, 2028 — the anniversary of the 2017 referendum establishing the presidential system — as the target date; under Article 116 of the constitution, parliament (not the president) must call the early vote with 360 of 600 votes, well beyond the AKP-MHP bloc's roughly 326 seats.