'People who wish to object to Erdoğan's candidacy can petition Supreme Electoral Board'

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Ömer Faruk Eminağaoğlu, a former supreme court prosecutor, posted two petition samples on his Twitter account for those who wish to make an objection to the candidacy of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the coming presidential elections and instructed that they can petition the Supreme Electoral Board (YSK).

The discussions on if President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan can once again run for presidency are not over in Turkey.

Some argue that Erdoğan cannot be a candidate according to the provision in article 101 of the Constitution which says, "A person can be elected president two times at most," but there are also others who hold the opposing view.

The latter argue that the first term of Erdoğan was before the 2017 amendment in the Constitution saying a person can be elected two times. 

But others point out that there is no such exception stated in the Constitution. Some among them argue that if it was the parliament to decide to bring the elections forward, Erdoğan could run once again, since his term of office would be considered not completed then. But when he is the one to decide to bring the elections forward from June 18 to May 14, this is not possible. 

Eminağaoğlu's tweet

Ömer Faruk Eminağaoğlu is one jurist who thinks Erdoğan's candidacy is not lawful.

He is a former prosecutor of the Court of Cassation and the founding president of YARSAV, the Union of Judges and Prosecutors. Founded by 501 members in 2006, YARSAV was the first non-governmental union of judges and prosecutors in Turkey. 

Eminağaoğlu wrote today in his tweet, "If Erdoğan is announced as a presidential candidate in the temporary list of candidates, those who wish can fill in the petition they find appropriate, attach a copy of their identity card, and apply to the electoral board of any district on March 28 and 29, 2023, and ask for the petition to be sent to YSK."

Two-day objection period

According to the election calendar published in the Official Gazette today, the temporary list of candidates for the presidency will be published in the Official Gazette on March 28, and a two-day period for objections will start at 08:00 am. on the same day.

It will be possible to make objections until 17:00 pm. on March 29, 2023, and after 17:00 YSK will start examining the objections. (ME/PE)