Turkey releases final list of presidential candidates

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Turkey’s Supreme Election Council has released the final list of candidates registered for participating in the June 24 presidential election, Anadolu reports.

A total of 6 candidates will run for the president’s position:

Recep Tayyip Erdogan – incumbent President, candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)

Meral Aksener – leader of the Good party

Muharrem İnce – candidate of the Kemalist Republican People’s Party (CHP)

Selahettin Demirtas – member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)

Dogu Perincek – leader of the Vatan (Fatherland) party

Temel Karamollaoglu – leader of the Saadet (Happiness) party

The presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey will be held on June 24. Based on the election results the country will transition from the parliamentary system to the presidential one.

The Nationalist Movement party announced endorsing Erdogan’s candidacy during the presidential election.

The Good party, which has been formed in October, 2017, promises to make surprises in the coming elections. Its leader is former interior minister, former member of the Nationalist Movement party Meral Aksener who is expected to be Erdogan’s main opponent in the presidential election. She will be the first woman candidate to compete against Erdogan.

Earlier Muharrem İnce, candidate of the Kemalist Republican People’s Party (CHP), announced that if second round of presidential election is held and he loses it, he will support the opposition candidate.

Selahattin Demirtas, HDP candidate for the president, is jailed since 2016 pending proceedings over terror related charges. The jailed lawmaker faces up to 142 years imprisonment if found guilty on terror related charges.

The chances of Dogu Perincek and Temel Karamollaoglu to win in the presidential election are almost zero.

English translator/editor – Aneta Harutyunyan