Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan could participate in the next presidential election if it is held on April 16, 2028, presidential chief adviser and Deputy Chair of the Presidential Legal Policies Council Mehmet Uçum said.

Uçum said he expects Türkiye’s presidential and parliamentary elections to be held on April 16, 2028, three weeks ahead of the date he identifies as the regular election date, according to TASS.

“I assume that the elections will be held on April 16, 2028. This is the date of the referendum on the transition to the presidential system; it has symbolic significance. President Tayyip Erdoğan will run for the last time,” Uçum said.

April 16 marks the anniversary of Türkiye’s 2017 constitutional referendum, which paved the way for the country’s transition from a parliamentary system to a presidential system of government.

Uçum had previously said that April 16, 2028 could be used if the Turkish parliament adopts a decision to renew the elections. Türkiye’s regular election date is currently calculated as May 7, 2028, meaning the proposed date would bring the vote forward by three weeks.

The proposal does not itself set the election date. A parliamentary decision would be required for the elections to be brought forward, with Uçum previously pointing to February 2028 as a possible period for such a decision.