The Supreme Board of Elections exempted President Erdogan from election bans for Presidential candidates with a decision on May 1st 2018. In this context, Erdogan will not be subject to any prohibitions such as press release neutrality, declaration of candidates’ property, donation of a maximum of 13,916 TL ($3,125) to a presidential candidate, and not using public vehicles.

Unfair election race

Compared to President Erdoğan, the other five rivals only have limited rights while running for presidency.

According to the law, a person can donate up to 13,916 TL to the candidates. Excess amounts will be transferred to the Treasury.

Another limitation is the identity of donors. Donors are required to donate by notifying their national ID number. Donation of those who do not submit their ID numbers will also be transferred to the Treasury.

Moreover the Presidential candidate has to use all of these donations in the campaign process. At the end of the campaign, the unused amount will also remain in the Treasury accounts.

According to the law, presidential candidates can only continue their campaigns with the donations they receive from voters. The Political Parties are unable to financially support their presidential candidate because they are considered legal entities.

20 cents for Campaign

CHP’s presidential candidate Muharrem İnce launched a campaign of donations to continue the election campaign.

He said he would ask the young voters to donate 1 TL (20 cents) for his campaign.

Discretionary Fund: 600 mil USD

In 2015, a regulation granting a discretionary fund for the presidency was passed as part of a government-sponsored omnibus bill in the Turkish Parliament despite objection from opposition parties.

Discretionary funds are allocated to the president from a yearly state budget. These funds are not for a particular project. Discretionary funds can be used without approval from Parliament.

Although there is not any official announced figure, Erdogan’s discretionary fund is calculated to be around 600 million USD for a year.

CHP EU Representation