Turkey Presidential Election 2028

What this countdown tracks

Türkiye's 2028 concurrent presidential and parliamentary elections, expected on Sunday 14 May 2028 under the five-year cycle established by the 2017 constitutional referendum that abolished the parliamentary system. Roughly 64 million eligible Turkish voters elect both the President — head of state and government — and all 600 members of the Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi on the same ballot, with a presidential runoff two weeks later if no candidate clears 50 percent.

About this election

The 2017 constitutional reform consolidated executive authority in the presidency, abolished the office of Prime Minister, and synchronised presidential and legislative elections on a five-year cycle. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won re-election in May 2023 with 52.2 percent in the runoff against Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu of the opposition Nation Alliance — securing a third term despite the contested constitutional question of whether the 2017 reform reset his term limit.

Under the 1982 Constitution as amended, the President serves a five-year term renewable once. Erdoğan is therefore in his (contested) second post-2017 term and ineligible to stand again unless Parliament calls early elections, which would reset the count. Whether the AKP–MHP People's Alliance triggers an early vote — which it has the constitutional power to do — is the central political question through 2026 and 2027.

Key issues

The 2028 cycle will weigh the AKP's record on inflation that peaked above 75 percent in 2024, the orthodox monetary turn under Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan, the post-February 2023 earthquake reconstruction in Hatay and Kahramanmaraş, the Kurdish question and the future of the HDP-successor DEM Party after the 2024 mayoral wins, foreign-policy positioning between NATO and the BRICS-aligned bloc, and Türkiye's accession or non-accession path with the EU.

Past results

• 2023 (runoff, 28 May): Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 52.2%, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu 47.8% — record runoff turnout 84.1%.
• 2018: Erdoğan 52.6% in the first round; AKP–MHP People's Alliance 344 of 600 seats.
• 2014: Erdoğan 51.8% in Türkiye's first direct presidential vote.

In parliamentary elections concurrent with 2023:

• AKP 268 seats, CHP 169, DEM Party (then HDP/Yeşil Sol) 61, MHP 50, İYİ 43.

How to follow

The Yüksek Seçim Kurulu (Supreme Election Council) publishes results at ysk.gov.tr; Anadolu Agency provides the official tabulation feed. TRT Haber, NTV, CNN Türk and Habertürk run dominant Turkish coverage; opposition viewers track Halk TV, Tele 1 and Sözcü TV. Polls open 08:00 to 17:00 local time across the country (TRT, GMT+3).

Related countdowns

Türkiye's 2028 vote sits in the Middle East / Mediterranean electoral cluster with the Iran presidential election, Egypt House of Representatives election and Italian general election. For comparable presidential cycles see the South Korea presidential election.

FAQ

When is the Türkiye 2028 election? Expected Sunday 14 May 2028 on the five-year cycle from May 2023, with a presidential runoff on 28 May 2028 if needed. An earlier vote is possible if Parliament calls one. Who is running? Erdoğan's eligibility is contested under the 2017 reform; the AKP may field a successor (Hakan Fidan or others). The CHP under Özgür Özel and the iyi Party will field opposition candidates. Why does this election matter globally? Türkiye is NATO's second-largest army, a strategic gatekeeper between Europe and the Middle East, and a swing economy of 86 million. What if Erdoğan stands and the Constitutional Court blocks him? A live legal question; the AKP has signalled it will pursue parliamentary reform of term-limit interpretation if needed.