Turkey’s peace process with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has intensified speculation that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could seek constitutional changes allowing him to remain in office beyond 2028, while pro-Kurdish politicians are also pressing for reforms to expand Kurdish rights.
Turkey’s constitution currently limits a president to two full terms. Erdogan would therefore need constitutional changes to run for a third term unless parliament calls an early election.
The debate gained momentum after parliament approved a framework law for the peace process on August 10. The measure received 468 of 600 votes. At least 400 votes are needed to pass constitutional amendments directly, while 360 are required to send them to a referendum or trigger an early election.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus said after the vote that parliament had the numbers most conducive to drafting a new constitution. Erdogan’s chief legal adviser, Mehmet Ucum, later said constitutional reform would be on parliament’s agenda in the next legislative session. Ucum also said limited amendments backed by more than 400 MPs could be adopted without a referendum.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli, a key government ally in the peace process, has also called for changes to Turkey’s electoral law to ensure what he described as “political consistency”. Opposition columnist Akif Beki suggested this could point to changes in the rules for presidential elections.
Erdogan himself appeared to leave open the possibility of another term in a speech on August 14, saying he would continue serving Turkey for as long as he had life and health.
At the same time, pro-Kurdish politicians have called for constitutional reforms as part of the peace process. Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called in February for “constitutional citizenship” for Kurds. DEM Party leaders have since backed a constitution guaranteeing equal citizenship, mother-tongue rights and stronger local government.
DEM officials, however, have rejected the idea that cooperation with the government will extend beyond the peace process. No elected mayor removed from office and replaced by a state-appointed trustee has been reinstated since the process began.
Turkey’s next presidential election is scheduled for May 2028. Erdogan would need constitutional changes or an early election to stand again. Possible dates for an early vote have been suggested for summer or November 2027.
Critics warn that constitutional changes linked to the peace process could strengthen Erdogan without producing wider democratic reforms. Lawyer Tolga Sirin said cooperation between DEM and the government could provide the parliamentary numbers needed for Erdogan to remain in power beyond 2028, but argued there was no indication that this would be accompanied by measures to strengthen judicial independence, freedom of expression, press freedom, peaceful assembly or electoral competition.
The outcome will depend on whether the peace process leads to a broader constitutional agreement or remains focused on narrower legal changes. For Erdogan, the parliamentary arithmetic created by the process could become important as the country approaches the 2028 presidential election.
