The ruling People's Alliance's candidate for the next presidential election remains President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesman Ömer Çelik said Monday, welcoming remarks by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chairman Devlet Bahçeli and dismissing speculation surrounding an early vote.
Speaking after a meeting of AK Party's Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK), chaired by Erdoğan, Çelik said the party's position on the next presidential election was clear.
"For the AK Party, our presidential candidate is President Erdoğan," Çelik said, adding that all authorized party bodies had maintained a firm and consistent stance on the matter.
Çelik welcomed Bahçeli's recent remarks that "our president is on duty and we stand behind him," describing them as an important demonstration of the People's Alliance's unity and determination regarding Erdoğan's candidacy.
The AK Party spokesman also outlined an extensive political agenda in the coming months, including preparations for the party's consultation camp in Sapanca, the NATO summit, July 15 commemoration events, COP31 climate talks and the party's anniversary celebrations.
Addressing regional developments, Çelik said the recent agreement between Iran and the United States offered an opportunity for tensions to ease but warned that the process remained fragile. He argued that efforts toward a lasting peace could be undermined by what he described as Israeli aggression and called for strong international support for diplomacy during the 60-day negotiation period.
Çelik also said work on the government's "Terror-Free Türkiye" initiative was continuing and had entered a new legislative phase. He stated that a legal framework aimed at ensuring the disarmament and dissolution of the PKK/KCK's armed and illegal structures would soon be debated in Parliament.
According to Çelik, the process would be considered complete only after state institutions verify that the group has laid down its arms and the determination is approved by the National Security Council, followed by a presidential decision.
He called on all political parties and social actors to contribute to the process, arguing that Türkiye possesses the institutional capacity and political experience needed to achieve its "Terror-Free Türkiye" and "Terror-Free Region" goals.
