Muharrem Ince, one of the four candidates for the Turkish presidential election on May 14, announced Thursday the withdrawal of his candidacy, a decision which strengthens the chances of Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, main opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“I withdraw my candidacy”, simply declared during a press conference the leader of the Memleket (Fatherland) party, who was credited with 2 to 4% of the voting intentions in the latest opinion polls.
He had been the target of a smear campaign on the Internet, mounted in particular with the help of deepfakes which showed fake photos of him in the company of women or driving luxury cars.
Kemal Kiliçdaroglu accused Russia on Thursday evening of being behind this campaign.
“Dear Russian friends,” Mr. Kiliçdaroglu posted on Twitter, “you are behind the montages, conspiracies, forgeries and recordings that were revealed yesterday in this country. […] If you want our friendship after May 15, don’t touch the Turkish state. »
Several executives of Mr. Ince’s party have resigned in recent days, worried that his candidacy will prevent Mr. Kiliçdaroglu, at the head of an alliance of six opposition parties, from winning against President Erdogan, in power since 2003.
Mr Ince justified his decision by saying the opposition alliance will “put all the blame” on him if they lose. “I don’t want them to have any excuses,” he said.
Muharrem Ince, whose portrait will appear on the ballots on Sunday, was the unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Republican People’s Party (CHP, social democrat) in 2018, beaten in the first round by Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In May 2021, he launched his own secular nationalist formation.
“Old Grudges”
Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, leader of the CHP, is given a good position in the face of President Erdogan, confronted for the first time in two decades with a united opposition.
The latest opinion poll released Thursday by the renowned Konda Institute credited Mr. Kiliçdaroglu with 49.3% of voting intentions in the first round, against 43.7% for Mr. Erdogan and 2.2% for Muharrem Ince.
According to a survey conducted on May 9 and 10 by the Metropoll Institute, nearly 50% of Muharrem Ince’s supporters will vote for Mr. Kiliçdaroglu, against less than a quarter in favor of President Erdogan.
“My appeal still stands. Let’s put aside old grudges,” Kiliçdaroglu tweeted on Thursday, calling on Muharrem Ince to join his coalition.
“His withdrawal is incomprehensible. Honestly, I am sad,” reacted for his part Mr. Erdogan during a meeting in the province of Ankara.
” Let’s go on. […] What matters is the decision of my people,” added the 69-year-old head of state, who will face his most uncertain election on Sunday since taking over as head of the country.
Already a “record participation”
Mr. Erdogan, who has seen his popularity undermined by the economic crisis in Turkey, promised Thursday to double the salaries of civil servants, after initially promising a 45% increase on Tuesday.
Facing him, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, a 74-year-old former senior civil servant, promises a return to the democratic game and a head-on fight against inflation, which still exceeds 40% in Turkey.
In addition to the support of his coalition, the candidate obtained the support of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), the country’s main pro-Kurdish party and the country’s third political force.
In the conservative city of Sivas (center), Mr. Kiliçdaroglu promised Thursday that he would protect the rights of all Turks.
The country’s 64.1 million voters will simultaneously renew their parliament on Sunday, where President Erdogan and his allies enjoy a majority.
Nearly 1.7 million Turks have already voted from abroad, according to figures from the Turkish High Electoral Committee.
“We have achieved record turnout abroad compared to previous elections,” said Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Yasin Ekrem Serim.
Five years ago, Turks abroad, who make up around 5% of the electorate, voted almost 60% for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, compared to 52.6% for all Turks.