Candidate withdraws from presidential race in boost to Erdogan's main challenger
A candidate in Turkey's presidential election has withdrawn from the race, a move that is likely to bolster President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main challenger
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A candidate in Turkey's presidential election announced Thursday that he is withdrawing from the race, a move that is likely to bolster President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main challenger.
Muharrem Ince, the leader of the center-left Homeland Party, was one of four contenders running for president in the May 14 election.
He had come under intense criticism for splintering the votes of the six-party Nation Alliance, which has united behind the candidacy of main opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and of possibly forcing the presidential race into a second-round.
“I am withdrawing from the race,” Ince told reporters. “I am doing this for my country.”
Ince had polled around 8% of the votes when his candidacy was first announced, but his popularity ratings have since dropped to around 2%, according to opinion surveys.
Ince, however, said the Homeland Party, which he formed in 2021, would still run in the parliamentary elections, and he called for votes for the party “from each household.”
The 58-year-old former physics teacher had previously run against Erdogan in presidential elections in 2018 under the ticket of Kilicdaroglu's main opposition party, CHP. He had garnered around 30% of the votes but later broke away from the party.