A HARD-LINE anti-migrant party today threw its weight behind the opposition candidate who is running against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sunday’s run-off presidential race.

Umit Ozdag, leader of the far-right Victory Party, announced his support for main opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the joint candidate of a six-party opposition alliance. 

He said he decided to back Mr Kilicdaroglu over his promises to repatriate millions of migrants.

Mr Ozdag’s announcement came just days after Sinan Ogan, the third-placed contender in the first round of the presidential election on May 14, endorsed Mr Erdogan in the upcoming runoff. 

Mr Ogan was the joint candidate of an alliance of small conservative parties, led by Ozdag’s Victory Party.

Mr Erdogan received 49.5 per cent of the votes in the first round of the presidential race but was just short of the majority needed for an outright victory. Mr Kilicdaroglu scored 44.9 per cent.

Mr Erdogan’s ruling party and its nationalist and Islamist allies also retained a majority in the 600-seat parliament.

After last week’s election, Mr Kilicdaroglu courted support from the right wing by vowing to send back refugees and ruling out any peace negotiations with Kurdish resistance fighters if he is elected.