The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesman on April 1 downplayed calls by the main opposition leader to push for by-elections, citing regional and international tensions as a reason.
“Look at the global situation and look at the agenda the CHP is trying to create. There is a CHP detached from the realities of Türkiye and the world,” AKP's Ömer Çelik said at a press conference in Ankara.
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, speaking a day earlier, called for by-elections and suggested the possibility of holding early general elections alongside local polls, framing the move as a response to a renewed wave of operations targeting CHP-run municipalities.
“The biggest problem for the CHP is its leadership. How elections are conducted, the rules of democracy, the foundations of the republic are clear. They exploit the fundamental values of the republic for their political gain by creating fake regime crises,” Özel said.
Özel's remarks followed the detention of Bursa Mayor Mustafa Bozbey and his family on March 31 on bribery charges, part of a broader crackdown on opposition-led municipalities.
"There is a situation where the party has failed to maintain its cohesion, lacks a coherent political agenda, and is mired in very narrow issues — specifically, allegations of corruption raised by CHP members themselves," " Çelik said. "If an election were held, this CHP leadership would face a crushing defeat."
Under Türkiye's Constitution, by-elections can be called once 30 months have passed since the last general election and at least one year remains before the next. The last parliamentary vote was held in May 2023, with the next scheduled for May 2028. A by-election becomes mandatory if vacant seats reach 5 percent of parliament, or 30 lawmakers; currently, eight seats are empty.
The CHP could theoretically trigger a by-election by orchestrating the resignation of at least 22 MPs, but any such resignations require approval by parliament’s General Assembly, where the AKP holds a majority.
Local elections occur every five years and altering that schedule would require a constitutional amendment. Still, reports say the CHP is considering strategies to force local by-elections through coordinated resignations in municipal councils.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the CHP’s presidential candidate, has been in jail since last year on corruption charges, detained the day he announced his candidacy. Several other CHP mayors also face ongoing legal proceedings, even as the party rallies nationwide calling for early elections.
