Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has the right to run for another term under the country's current constitution, claims his advisor Mehmet Uçum, rejecting speculation that the rulers' desire to change the basic law is born from a desire to ensure the possibility of Erdogan's re-election, BTA reports.
In a post on the social network Ex Uçum defended the need to adopt a new constitution and rejected as a "complete lie" the claim that the goal of the new basic law is to pave the way for Erdogan's candidacy in the upcoming elections.
"There is no need for a new constitution or amendment to the constitution for President Erdogan to run again. The current constitution already allows this," said Uçum.
According to him, such a possibility exists if, by a decision of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT), elections are called for a certain period of time before the regular schedule, which for the next general elections provides for the date of May 7, 2028.
"That is, if in the last quarter of 2027 the GNAT decides with the votes of at least 360 deputies to renew the elections and if President Erdogan prefers, he could run for the last time," explained the presidential advisor.
According to Uçum, although Erdogan says that "he has no interest in running" again, the country needs him as a president, "who will serve with his extensive experience and effective leadership of Turkey in foreign and domestic processes for another term".
Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) have long criticized the existing constitution, mainly because it was drafted after the military coup in 1980.
The path to adopting a new constitution is complicated, as the AKP does not have the necessary parliamentary majority to push the proposal through. In order to organize a referendum on the issue, the support of more than 30 opposition deputies is needed.