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A CANDIDATE in Turkey’s presidential election announced today that he was withdrawing from the race.
The move ahead of the poll on May 14 by Muharrem Ince, the leader of the centre-left Homeland Party, is likely to bolster President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Mr Ince has faced intense criticism for splitting the votes of the six-party Nation Alliance, which has united behind the candidacy of main opposition party leader Mr Kilicdaroglu, and of possibly forcing the presidential race into a second-round.
“I am withdrawing from the race,” Mr Ince told reporters in front of his party’s headquarters. “I am doing this for my country.”
Mr Erdogan has led Turkey as prime minister and president since 2003.
Polls had given Mr Kilicdaroglu a slight lead over Mr Erdogan, although neither candidate was expected to win more than 50 per cent of the votes required to be elected in the first round.
Nation Alliance members welcomed Mr Ince’s decision to step down.
“God willing, our nation will take the necessary step in the days ahead so that we will (succeed) in the first round,” said Gultekin Uysal, leader of the centre-right Democrat Party.
Mr Ince said that the Homeland Party would still run in the parliamentary elections which is also taking place on Sunday.
