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Erdoğan during his speech in Izmir
Photo: Murat Cetinmuhurdar / REUTERS
In June 2023 Turkey will elect a new head of state.
The incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has now officially applied again.
'Let me say it here.
Tayyip Erdoğan is the People's Alliance candidate," Erdoğan said at a rally in Izmir on Thursday, referring to the alliance between his AKP party and the right-wing conservative MHP.
Erdoğan rejected rumors that he was aiming for an early election.
The presidential election is scheduled to take place on June 24, 2023, he said.
Erdoğan has held power in Turkey since 2003, initially as prime minister until 2014 and since then as the country's president.
Since a constitutional reform in 2018, he has also been given far-reaching powers.
The term of office has since been fixed at five years.
If Erdoğan were re-elected, he could remain in office until 2028.
He would end up being 74 years old and would have held power in Turkey for at least 25 years.
pressure on the opposition
It is still unclear which challenger Erdoğan will face.
The opposition CHP party has not yet nominated its top candidate.
In his speech in Izmir, Erdoğan called on CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to get down to business: "Announce either your candidate or your candidacy," he demanded.
Turkey is currently in a severe economic crisis, inflation is at 73.5 percent, the highest it has been since 1998, and the Turkish lira has fallen in value.
Critics blame Erdoğan's unconventional economic policy for the problems.
Despite rampant inflation in the country, the Turkish central bank recently left the key interest rate unchanged again.
Erdoğan is a declared opponent of high interest rates, which, according to prevailing opinion, are an effective means of fighting inflation.
mrc/AFP
