YSK declines appeal of rejection for Erdoğan’s candidacy

ANKARA

The Supreme Election Board (YSK) announced on April 3 the reasons behind rejecting the objections to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s candidacy in the 14 May elections.

In its grounds of rejection of the application regarding the claim that Erdoğan cannot be a candidate for the third time, the YSK said that as the first election with the new system was held on June 24, 2018, the president’s first five-year term began on June 24, 2018.

Erdoğan was first elected on Aug. 10, 2014, as a president, and since the 26th term parliamentary election was held on Nov. 1, 2015, the aforementioned presidential election was not held together with the parliamentary election but was an individual election, the YSK explained.

On the other hand, the 27th term parliamentary election was held on the same day as the presidential election on June 24, 2018, said the board.

“The term of office of the president will be determined based on the previous joint election date. The first election held together was the election on June 24, 2018. Accordingly, President Erdoğan’s term of office is based on the previous election date, when the presidential and parliamentary elections were held together,” the YSK’s ruling said.

Since the “first joint election” date is June 24, 2018, the five-year term of office for the first term started from this date, it noted.