Claim: Serap Yazıcı Özbudun told Erdoğan 'if we could return to a parliamentary system, you could remain president for life'

Journalist Sedat Bozkurt has reported a surprising claim regarding a visit by the Turkish Democracy Foundation's board to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. According to Bozkurt, AKP Antalya Deputy Serap Yazıcı Özbudun, who was part of the delegation, proposed a significant constitutional shift.

Bozkurt alleged that Özbudun stated, "I have defended the parliamentary system from the beginning, and I am still at the same point today. If we could find a way to return to the parliamentary system, perhaps by adding a provisional article to the constitution, you could remain president for life." This suggestion reportedly surprised both the foundation's delegation and President Erdoğan.

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I have defended the parliamentary system from the beginning, and I am still at the same point today. If we could find a way to return to the parliamentary system, perhaps by adding a provisional article to the constitution, you could remain president for life.

According to Bozkurt's account, Erdoğan responded to Özbudun's proposal by cutting the conversation short, saying, "We'll talk about these later." Bozkurt, writing for Kısa Dalga, speculated on the constitutional law professor's motivations behind such a bold suggestion, especially given her previous strong defense of the parliamentary system.

Serap Yazıcı Özbudun was elected as a deputy in 2023 on the CHP party lists. She later resigned from CHP in February 2025 to join the AKP. Özbudun is also the wife of the late constitutional law professor Ergun Özbudun, who passed away in 2023. Notably, she was part of the academic team that prepared the first "civilian constitution" draft for President Erdoğan in 2007.

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We'll talk about these later.