Ankara, Turkey – Turkish Parliament speaker Mustafa Sentop said on Friday that the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can run for the presidency once again in the upcoming presidential elections.
Sentop argued there is no legal or constitutional objection to Erdogan’s candidacy, terming it an issue that does not concern opposition parties.
With regard to Erdogan’s two previous presidential terms, Sentop explained that following the transition from the parliamentary to the presidential system in 2018, the current term of the president is considered the first under the new system.
The Speaker’s statement came in response to the one issued by the “Six-Party Table” meeting, which brought together on Thursday, the leaders of six opposition parties, during which they declared their rejection of Erdogan’s candidacy for a second term.
The parties said that Erdogan’s announcement of his candidacy for the upcoming elections constitutes a violation of the constitution.