Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he has no personal ambition to seek re-election, saying that his push for a new constitution is intended to benefit the country, not extend his political career, the İHA news agency reported.
“We are not seeking a new constitution for ourselves, but for our nation,” Erdoğan told reporters aboard his plane on his return from Hungary, where he attended an informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States on Wednesday. “I have no ambition to be elected again or to be a candidate again.”
Erdoğan’s remarks come amid growing speculation that the government may attempt to introduce constitutional amendments that could pave the way for him to seek another presidential term despite current term limits. Under Turkey’s existing constitution, Erdoğan’s current term in office, his second under the presidential system adopted in 2018, is expected to be his last, unless parliament calls for early elections.
Critics have warned that any attempt to reinterpret or revise the term limit provisions could undermine the rule of law and further concentrate power in the executive branch. Erdoğan, who has dominated Turkish politics for more than two decades, has previously been accused of using constitutional reforms to prolong his time in office.
In his comments, Erdoğan said that the proposed constitutional overhaul is meant to create a more democratic and inclusive framework for future generations. No formal draft of the new constitution has yet been introduced to parliament.
Erdoğan added, “We no longer want a constitution written by coup plotters, we need one drafted by civilians. … There is no reason why such a constitution shouldn’t be possible. There is no dispute over the first four articles,” he said, referencing the foundational principles of the Turkish Republic, including secularism and the unitary state.
Turkey’s current constitution was drafted following a military coup in 1980 and is criticized for being anti-democratic. While Erdoğan insists his reform push is about democratization, critics suspect it may open the door for yet another term in office.
Under the current presidential system, adopted in a 2017 referendum, the president can serve two five-year terms. Erdoğan was elected president in 2014 under the old parliamentary system and re-elected in 2018 and 2023 under the new executive presidency. Legal experts remain divided on whether a third term under the revised system would require a constitutional amendment or a snap election, which resets the term count.
Changing the constitution would require either a three-fifths parliamentary majority, 360 out of 600 seats, to trigger a referendum, or a two-thirds supermajority, 400 seats, for direct approval. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its far-right allies currently fall short of both thresholds, making any constitutional overhaul contingent on opposition support.
Contradictory signals
Erdoğan had previously announced ahead of the March 2024 local elections that he would not seek another term, saying, “With the authority that the law confers on me, this election is my last.” However, during a January 2024 party rally in Şanlıurfa, popular singer İbrahim Tatlıses publicly urged Erdoğan to run again. Erdoğan’s response, “If you’re in, I’m in,” sparked renewed speculation that he may be considering a third run despite constitutional limits.
Erdoğan’s two-decade rule has seen sweeping institutional changes, including the replacement of Turkey’s parliamentary system with a presidential model that critics say has eroded judicial independence and centralized power.
Rights groups and opposition leaders have accused Erdoğan of using the judiciary to sideline rivals. Most recently, İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, seen as the main opposition challenger, was detained in March and remains in pretrial detention on charges widely seen as politically motivated. The episode triggered significant economic fallout, including a sharp depreciation of the Turkish lira and a $40 billion central bank intervention, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.