ATA BLOC’S CANDIDATE CALLS ON THEIR SUPPORTERS TO BACK ERDOĞAN IN PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF

Mon 22 May 2023:

During a press conference on Monday, Sinan Oğan, who was the presidential candidate of the ATA bloc in the first round of the election on May 14, called on his nearly three million supporters to back incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the runoff on May 28.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Oğan said: “I declare that we will support the candidate of People’s Alliance, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the second round of the presidential election.”

Calling on his supporters to back Erdoğan in the runoff, he said: “We had all kinds of consultations before making the last decision. We have taken this decision because we believe that our decision is the right decision for our country and nation.”

Kılıçdaroğlu’s Nation Alliance “failed to convince us about the future,” while the decision to back Erdoğan was based on a principle of “non-stop struggle (against) terrorism,” he said.

PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN MEETS WITH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OĞAN AHEAD OF TURKISH RUNOFF

Ogan, 55, a former academic, was the first-round presidential candidate of an alliance of right-wing parties led by the Victory Party, which is known for its anti-immigrant stance in Türkiye, the world’s biggest host of refugees.

Millions of voters went to the polls on May 14 to elect the country’s president and members of its 600-seat parliament.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s People’s Alliance won a majority in parliament, while the presidential race is headed to a second round on May 28.

Erdoğan will face Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and joint candidate for the six-party opposition Nation Alliance, in the runoff vote.

Erdoğan finished the first round with 49.52% of the vote, while Kılıçdaroğlu came second at 44.88% and Sinan Oğan of the ATA (Ancestral) Alliance got 5.17%.

-Anadolu Agency

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