Turkey's March Elections Will Be My Last, Says President Erdogan: Report

Erdogan, who has won more than a dozen elections since 2002, was re-elected for a five-year term in the closely contested May 2023 polls. 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has announced that the municipal elections slated for March 31 will be his last, ccording to the state-run news agency Anadolu, Reuters reported. Erdogan, modern Turkey's most successful politician, has ruled the country for more than 20 years. Erdogan, who has won more than a dozen elections since 2002, was re-elected for a five-year term in the closely contested May 2023 polls. 

“This is a final for me, under the mandate given by the law this is my last election. The result that will come out will be the transferring of a legacy to my siblings who will come after me,” he stated, Reuters cited news agency Anadolu in its report.

The 70-year-old leader exuded confidence that his conservative Justice and Development (AKP) party would retain power even after he left office.

The AKP is expecting to reclaim the mayorship of Istanbul in the elections later this month, after the opposition took it in 2019.

Erdogan was the mayor of Istanbul from 1994 until 1998.

He was later elected prime minister in 2003, when the premier was the most powerful person in Turkish politics.

That changed when Erdogan was elected president in 2014, after serving three terms as prime minister.

A constitutional amendment in 2017 transformed Turkey from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency, removing the role of prime minister and assuring Erdogan's continued hold on power.

Turkey's Erdogan Offers To Host A Peace Summit With Russia During A Visit From Ukraine's Zelenskyy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose NATO member nation has attempted to strike a balance in its close connections with both Ukraine and Russia, proposed to host a peace conference between the two countries during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, news agency Associated Press reported.

Erdogan, who has regularly mentioned brokering a peace accord, told a press conference in Istanbul after his meeting with Zelenskyy said he hoped Russia would accept Turkey's offer.

“Since the beginning, we have contributed as much as we could toward ending the war through negotiations," Erdogan said. "We are also ready to host a peace summit in which Russia will also be included."