Homeland Party leader İnce withdraws from presidential race

ANKARA

Muharrem İnce, one of four presidential contenders, has announced his decision to withdraw from the race and expressed his fury over conspiracies against him that included a fake sex video tape.

“I withdraw my candidacy. I do it for my country,” İnce said at a press conference on May 11 in the Turkish capital. İnce did not disclose who he will support for the presidency but recalled that he was a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) for decades before founding his Homeland Party in 2022.

Following İnce’s withdrawal, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, oppositional joint candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and nationalist alliance leader Sinan Oğan will remain as three contenders for the presidential polls that will take place on Sunday.

“I wanted to create a third way. But we failed to do so,” İnce said, explaining that he was offering a new political track for the real followers of the principles and values of Atatürk, the founder of the modern Republic of Türkiye.

Although he has withdrawn, İnce called the people to vote for the Homeland Party which is running for the parliament.

İnce also complained about a slander campaign against him since his nomination to the presidency. “In my 45 years in politics, I have never seen the things I witnessed in the past 45 days,” he said, criticizing the police and prosecutors for not taking any action on all these conspiracies.

One of the conspiracies included a sex video. “This is fake,” İnce said, expressing his fury and blamed the FETÖ for the release of it. In the meantime, Ankara chief prosecutor launched an investigation into the video tape on May 11.

Kılıçdaroğlu spoke to İnce on the phone

On late May 10, Kılıçdaroğlu held a phone conversation with İnce after the release of the tape. It was reported that Kılıçdaroğlu expressed his support to İnce and suggested to fight together against those who conspired against him.

“We still have a place on our [oppositional] table for him,” he was quoted as saying. İnce, a former CHP member and presidential candidate in 2018, has long been criticized by his former party members for trying to divide the votes to the advantage of President Erdoğan.