The upcoming municipal elections later this month will be the last election for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he said, which put an end to more than 20 years as the leader of Türkiye.

It was the first time that Erdoğan, who has been in power since 2003, has spoken about leaving office.

"I am working non-stop. We're running around breathlessly because, for me, it's a final," said the president at a meeting of the Türkiye Youth Foundation (TÜGVA) in Istanbul on Friday.

"With the authority that the law confers on me, this election is my last election."

The 70-year-old leader expressed confidence that his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) would remain in power even after he left office.

He said the results of the March 31 local elections would be "a blessing for the brothers who come after me. There will be a transfer of confidence."

Erdoğan was the mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998 and admires the city.

The outcome of the March 31 election in Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city, is seen as key in deciding the political fate of its mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, 52, long touted as a potential leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and possibly a future president.

Five years ago, Imamoğlu and the CHP dealt the AK Party a blow in municipal elections by narrowly winning control of Istanbul, the president's home city, and the capital, Ankara, after years of rule by the AK Party. But Erdoğan, who has dominated Turkish politics for nearly a quarter of a century, beat off a strong opposition challenge last May to win reelection as president, while the AK Party and its allies secured another parliamentary majority.