As Erdogan cracks down on opposition, is Turkey headed to early election?

In the latest round of Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on critics and dissenters, three opposition party mayors were arrested on Saturday.

These mayors from CHP, the opposition party, are among hundreds of opposition figures and government officials who have been arrested in recent months as Erdogan has ramped up his consolidation of power.

Erdogan has ruled Turkey for more than two years but has faced increasing protests and backlash over his authoritarian tendencies in latest years. There are also signs that the country could be headed towards early elections as opposition and protests against his authoritarian rule continue to intensify.

Adiyaman Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere, Adana municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar, and Antalya Muhittin Bocek were arrested on corruption charges.

Critics have said that arrests of politicians, officials, and journalists in recent months are politically-motivated and are intended to finish off any opposition and criticism of Erdogan’s rule.

Insecure Erdogan cracks down as opposition presses for snap elections

Erdogan’s crackdown has come as the mass protests against his rule have pressed for elections.

The Opposition has formally demanded snap elections and there is speculation that Erdogan has gone into an overdrive with his crackdown as he has been cornered and feels he would need to call snap elections if the movement against his regime goes beyond a certain point.

There is evidence that, if elections are properly held without fraud or coercion, that Erdogan could be in serious trouble.

A survey in March found that Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of Istanbul jailed by Erdogan, would beat Erdogan in a 59-41 per cent massive victory.

If Turkey were to have a presidential election today, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Istanbul Mayor jailed by Erdoğan, would beat Erdoğan by a landslide, 59% to 41%. The opposition will soon launch a nationwide signature drive for an early election in 2025. Millions will sign. https://t.co/O9xVIxdufe

— Timur Kuran (@timurkuran) March 31, 2025

Days after the survey was published, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel formally called for snap elections and said the voters would deliver the “biggest no confidence vote in history”. He went on to call the previous election a “coup” by Erdogan.

“We will give Erdogan the biggest vote of no confidence in history. 7.2 million people have signed so far this petition to force him to hold early elections,” said Ozel at the time, as per AFP.

Ozel particularly condemned the journalists’ arrests as a “complete eclipse of reason” and accused Erdogan of seeking to “intimidate journalists so that they will not report”.

In March, Erdogan had arrested seven journalists in the midst of ongoing crackdown on critics, dissenters, and political opponents.

In addition to three mayors mentioned above, the deputy mayor of Istanbul’s Buyukcekmece district was also arrested on Saturday.

Additionally, the former CHP mayor of Izmir, the third-largest city in the country, and 137 municipal officials were detained last week on corruption charges and ex-Mayor Tunc Soyer and 59 others were jailed as well, according to Associated Press.

Erdogan wants to be president for life

At the core of Erdogan’s crackdown on democracy and free speech is the desire to be in power for life. His entire political career has been shaped by a drive to use brute strength and bend state institutions to stay in power.

Erdogan has ruled Turkey continuously since 2003 and has increasingly turned it into an autocratic regime.

After 11 years as the prime minister, Erdogan became the president in 2014.

In 2017, Erdogan amended the country’s constitution to convert Turkey from a parliamentary system of government into a presidential system. This meant that he consolidated all powers with him.

In the 2023 election, Erdogan claimed that a loophole allowed him to run for a third presidential term despite a two-term constitutional limit. He won the election despite fundamental questions about his eligibility to run for the office.

To further stay in office and consolidate whatever little power that still remained beyond him, Erdogan formally started the process to amend Turkey’s constitution earlier this year. The new constitution is expected to remove term limits and make way for him to be the president for life.