Turkey's Opposition Party Leader Planning To Run For Presidential Election - Reports

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), has not intention to avoid being nominated as a candidate for the upcoming presidential election in May despite a conflict among opposition members, Turkish media reported on Saturday

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2023) Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), has not intention to avoid being nominated as a candidate for the upcoming presidential election in May despite a conflict among opposition members, Turkish media reported on Saturday.

On Friday, the leader of Turkey's opposition Good Party, Meral Aksener, hinted at the party's withdrawal from the alliance of six Turkish opposition parties, saying that the institution did not reflect real interests of the Turkish people any longer. The conflict occurred after five parties proposed Kilicdaroglu's candidacy at a meeting on Thursday, while the Good Party intended to discuss the candidacies of Istanbul and Ankara mayors, Ekrem Imamoglu and Mansur Yavas.

Five opposition parties, including the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, are expected to nominate Kilicdaroglu as their single presidential candidate on March 6, and the CHP leader himself has no intention to refuse the nomination, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported.

On Friday, an opinion poll by Turkish company Optimar showed that at least 43% of the country's citizens were ready to re-elect incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the upcoming election in May, giving him a clear lead over his nearest competitor, Kilicdaroglu.

Earlier this week, Erdogan confirmed that the country's general election would take place on May 14 despite public discussions concerning the severe earthquakes that hit Turkey on February 6.