Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who heads the Justice and Development Party (AKP), stated today (Saturday) that he plans to run for the presidency for the last time in 2023. Erdogan said during a speech he gave in the city of Samson, in the north of the country, that “the time has come to hand over The baton to the younger generation, we will ask for the support of the nation for the last time.”
According to him, his party, which has ruled Turkey since 2003, “made Turkey a key player on the world stage… We established infrastructures that even developed countries envy. Now, they say that Turkey is really a different country. Every global crisis has contributed to a better understanding of the strength of our country.”
According to polls published in Turkey, in recent months there has been a decline in the popularity of Erdogan’s party, mainly due to rising inflation and a drop in the value of the currency, and due to public criticism of the country’s economic management. In October, it was reported in Turkey that inflation reached a 24-year high and stood at 85.51%. Despite this, Erdogan said in his speech: “We saw our strengths at a time when they were talking about the weakening of the economy.”
Last month, with the victory of the right-wing bloc in the elections to the 25th Knesset, prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Erdogan on the phone, a conversation that lasted about 12 minutes. The last time the two leaders spoke was in 2013, when Netanyahu apologized to Erdogan for the events on the Marmara ship that took place in 2010.