Turkish President hints at power transfer

Türkiye's president has for the first time mentioned the possibility of giving up power after more than two decades leading the country.

"I am working non-stop. I am so frantic that I almost forget to breathe, because for me this election is also the last one. With the 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 rule even if he leaves politics. He said the results of the local elections would be a "blessing for those who will follow".

"The election will be a transfer of confidence," Mr. Erdogan said.

About 64 million Turkish voters are eligible to participate in the March 31 election to elect new personnel for mayoral positions and local government leaders in 81 provinces and administrative districts across the country.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks in Budapest, Hungary on December 18, 2023. Photo: AFP

APK is hoping to regain the mayor's seat in Istanbul, after losing to the opposition party in 2019. Mr. Erdogan also served as mayor of Istanbul.

This is the first time President Erdogan has commented publicly on the possibility of ending more than two decades of leading the country, according to Turkish media.

He was elected prime minister in 2003, when it was still 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, switching from a parliamentary to a presidential system. The reform also eliminated the position of prime minister in the cabinet and guaranteed ultimate power to President Erdogan.

He was re-elected for a third five-year term in May 2023, amid fierce opposition over the constitution’s two-term limit. The election commission then ruled that Erdogan was still eligible to run, as the constitution was amended in 2017, midway through his first term, and that period did not apply.

Turkish opposition activist Ercan Ozcan has cast doubt on Erdogan's claim of a "final election", accusing the 70-year-old leader of "trying to amend the constitution again to ensure his re-election".

Thanh Danh (According to AFP, Reuters )

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