President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ruled out holding early elections, telling lawmakers that the next presidential and parliamentary polls will take place in 2028 and local elections in 2029 because the constitution and election law remain unchanged. Erdoğan said voters gave him a five-year mandate with 52.18% of the vote in the last election and pledged to serve the full term. Erdoğan coupled the timetable message with a broadside against the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), accusing its municipalities of bribery and misuse of public funds and warning that anyone who took illicit payments would ‘face justice’. He also mocked CHP leader Özgür Özel—who has demanded a snap vote on 2 November—and renewed a jibe telling him to “see an eye doctor” after a row over a satirical magazine cartoon. Özel, speaking at ‘Millet İradesine Sahip Çıkıyor’ rallies in Amasya and Istanbul’s Sancaktepe, countered that the government fears the ballot box and vowed to unseat Erdoğan, while detained Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu sent a statement accusing the government of orchestrating politically motivated investigations. The exchange underscores rising political tension as the opposition presses for an early return to the polls.