Trouble for Erdogan? Third party candidate drops out of election race
Turkiye's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan
In a shocking development that may make things tough for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in upcoming elections, third-party candidate Muharrem Ince on Thursday (May 11) withdrew his candidacy from the presidential polls.
The 59-year-old announced his decision after being targeted by an online smear campaign that included doctored images of him meeting women and riding around in fancy cars.
The secular nationalist picked up 30.6 per cent of the vote when he challenged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 2018 presidential polls.
Afterwards, he quit the main opposition party and launched his own movement that started pulling votes away from secular leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu is the joint candidate of the anti-Erdogan bloc.
"I'm withdrawing my candidacy," Ince told reporters ahead of Sunday's vote.
"I am doing this for my country."
Watch | Turkey Election 2023: Stiff challenge to Erdogan's reign
He had faced ferocious criticism from the opposition for entering the election campaign. He was largely seen as a spoiler candidate whose presence in the election ring could only help Erdogan secure a third decade of rule.
Ince countered that he offered voters a more vibrant alternative to the 74-year-old Kilicdaroglu -- a bookish former civil servant, who lost a string of national elections against Erdogan.
Latest opinion polls say that Kilicdaroglu is leading Erdogan by a few percentage points. He is falling just short of breaking the 50-per-cent threshold needed for a first-round victory.
Ince's popularity has been ebbing away after touching nearly 15 per cent.
The latest surveys showed him picking up between two and four per cent of the vote.
(With inputs from agencies)
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