Turkey’s Leader Moves to Rewrite Constitution To Avoid Term Limits, Opposition Says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed a legal team this week to begin drafting a new constitution, a move critics say is an end-run around constitutional term limits that will allow him to remain in office past the expiration of his current term in 2028, the Associated Press reported. 

On Tuesday, Erdoğan told members of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party that he had assigned 10 legal experts to create a new charter to replace the current constitution, which was drafted following the 1980 military coup. 

Although the 1982 constitution has undergone numerous amendments, Erdoğan claims it still reflects the influence of military rule, the Daily Sabah noted. 

However, opposition parties and critics warned that the proposed changes are designed to bypass constitutional term limits and pave the way for Erdoğan to seek re-election in 2028. Under the current constitution, he is barred from running again unless early elections are held or the legal framework is altered. 

Erdoğan has served as president since 2014 and was prime minister for more than a decade prior to that. He rejected accusations that the constitutional overhaul is self-serving, saying, “We want the new constitution not for ourselves, but our country.” 

Still, analysts noted that Erdoğan’s AK Party and its nationalist allies lack the parliamentary majority needed to pass a new constitution on their own. Observers said his recent overtures to end the decades-long conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party may be part of a strategy to win the support of pro-Kurdish lawmakers in parliament. 

The constitutional push also follows the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – Erdoğan’s key political rival – on corruption charges earlier this year. Imamoglu’s detention triggered weeks of nationwide protests, with critics and opposition parties calling the charges politically motivated. 

Last week, Turkish authorities banned all media content featuring Imamoglu, citing concerns over political propaganda, Bloomberg reported.  

The ban came just days after tens of thousands of supporters from Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party marched in Istanbul demanding his release. 

Last week, police detained at least 44 people as part of a corruption investigation into the Istanbul city government, Al Monitor added.