Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Friday nominated Muharrem İnce as its presidential candidate for the June 24 early elections.
In a rally in the capital Ankara, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu formally announced the CHP's choice of İnce as their presidential hopeful.
"I will not just be my party's president, but a president for all people in Turkey," Yalova MP İnce said.
İnce was seen as the strongest possible candidate by political circles close the party, while CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu made it clear that he will not run for president, a decision criticized by some party members as well.
A strong rival against the current CHP chair Kılıçdaroğlu from within the party, İnce comes from a moderate conservative background. The 53-year-old deputy is also portrayed as a populist and a pragmatic figure. The CHP electoral base and party provincial branches reportedly support İnce, who has been a deputy of Yalova province for the CHP since 2002. İnce also failed twice to win against Kılıçdaroğlu for party chairmanship.
On Wednesday, sources close to the CHP told Daily Sabah that "the candidacy of İnce is seen almost as a final decision."
Several candidates had been mentioned as possible nominees until today. Political rumors also pointed to İlhan Kesici, if a consensus was not reached within the party on İnce. Kesici, 69, comes from a center-right background. Prior to joining politics with the CHP in 2007, Kesici was known for his political life at the center-right Motherland Party (ANAP). Kesici, who held several bureaucratic positions prior to being in active politics, is a low-key figure and has a pro-Western liberal worldview.
The CHP's inability to find a candidate against main rival, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has also irked the party's electoral base. The CHP's traditional center-left voters criticize the party for leaning towards possible center-right candidates.
