Turkey's presidential candidate Ince drops out after release of 'sex tape'

Turkey's third-party candidate Muharrem Ince on Thursday withdrew from the country's tight presidential election after the release of a purported sex tape, increasing the chances of the opposition's victory in the first round.

The decision was announced by the 59-year-old after he was targeted by an online smear campaign through which his doctored images were shared in which the minister was seen meeting women and riding around in luxurious cars.

The former school headteacher and longtime member of the Republican People’s party (CHP) claimed that alleged sex tape circulating online was a deepfake, using footage taken from “an Israeli porn site”.

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“If I had such images of myself, they were taken secretly in the past. But I do not have such an image, no such sound recording. This is not my private life, it’s slander. It’s not real.” Ince was quoted as saying by the Guardian newspaper.

The secular nationalist leader had received 30.6 per cent of the vote when he had fought against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential elections of 2018.

The leader then quit the main opposition party and started his own movement which began to attract votes away from secular leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is the joint candidate of the anti-Erdogan bloc.

ALSO READ | Kilicdaroglu leaves Erdogan's shadow in Turkey's election campaign

"I'm withdrawing my candidacy," Ince said while speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday's voting. "I am doing this for my country,” he added.

Ince had faced ferocious criticism from the opposition for taking part in the campaign. Many people considered him a spoiler candidate who can only help Erdogan clinch a third decade of rule.

Ince counter-argued that he was offering a more vibrant alternative to voters compared to the 74-year-old Kilicdaroglu, whom he saw as a bookish former civil servant and someone who has lost multiple elections against Erdogan.

According to the last opinion polls, Kilicdaroglu was leading Erdogan by a few percentage points and was just a little away from breaking the 50-per-cent threshold which is required for a first-round win.

The popularity of Ince has been ebbing away after it touched around 15 per cent. The latest surveys showed the leader getting between two and four per cent of the vote.

However, that might not be enough to place Kilicdaroglu over the top. According to the Metropoll survey, around 30.5 per cent of Ince's support has moved to Kilicdaroglu and around 23.4 per cent went to Erdogan.

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Notably, the third-party candidate did not endorse any new candidate after he dropped out of the elections. His name will also appear on the presidential ballot even after he has left the race.

Meanwhile, the fourth minor candidate Sinan Ogan is believed to have been attracting votes from Erdogan.

"Another crazy day in Turkish politics," remarked emerging markets economist Timothy Ash.

"Ince withdraws, with the assumption that most of his votes now go to Kilicdaroglu, making it possible/more likely of a (Kilicdaroglu) first-round win,” he added. For days, Kilicdaroglu has been appealing for Ince to formally back his candidacy.

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