Muharrem İnce, the center-left Homeland Party leader, has announced his withdrawal from Turkey’s presidential election, just days ahead of the vote, AFP reported on Thursday, May 11th. This development is expected to work in favor of opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who is hoping to unseat incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a tightly contested race.
İnce was one of four contenders running for the presidency, and his decision to exit the race comes after weeks of resisting calls to do so. The Homeland Party leader, who had polled at 8% of the vote when he first entered the race, had seen his popularity dwindle to just 2% according to recent opinion surveys.
“I am withdrawing from the race,” İnce announced to reporters in front of his party’s headquarters. “I am doing this for my country.”
Although İnce did not endorse any other candidate explicitly, analysts believe that his withdrawal will likely benefit Kılıçdaroğlu’s chances of securing victory.
“İnce was drawing on support from voters dissatisfied both with Erdoğan and Kılıçdaroğlu,” says Hamish Kinnear, senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at the global risk intelligence company, Verisk Maplecroft. “While polling indicates that a majority of İnce’s voters are likely to flip to Kılıçdaroğlu, it’s unclear if there will be enough voters to give him an outright victory in the first round.”
Right now, Kılıçdaroğlu is polling at 50% while Erdoğan is trailing behind with 46%. With the former just barely over the threshold to clear the race without having to go to run-ups, İnce’s 2% could really become a major deciding factor in the end.
It’s easy to see why, therefore, İnce’s decision to withdraw has been met with optimism from the Nation Alliance, a six-party coalition that has united behind Kılıçdaroğlu’s candidacy. The opposition leader himself has called on İnce to join the coalition, urging him to put aside past grievances.
So far, the former physics teacher has not answered these calls, and is unlikely to do so in the remaining short time until the election this weekend. However, in an apparent reference to his move helping the main opposition camp’s chances, he remarked that Kılıçdaroğlu “will have no excuses if [he] loses the election” after yesterday.
However, President Erdoğan has expressed his regret over İnce’s decision to leave the race. “Of course, it is impossible to understand why he withdrew. Honestly, I was saddened,” said Erdoğan at an election rally in Ankara. “Now, we will continue [this race] with the remaining candidates. What matters is the decision of my people.”
Meanwhile, Kılıçdaroğlu has warned Russia against interfering in Turkey’s elections. The opposition leader, who accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of supporting President Erdoğan’s reelection bid, has called on the country to stop meddling in Turkish politics.
“Our dear Russian friends. You are behind the montages, conspiracies, and deepfake content that were spread in this country yesterday,” Kılıçdaroğlu wrote on Twitter. “If you want our friendship to continue after May 15, you must take your hands off the Turkish state. We are still in favor of cooperation and friendship.”
