Kılıçdaroğlu’s candidacy strong possibility: Felicity Party leader

ANKARA

Felicity Party (SP) leader Temel Karamollaoğlu has stressed that the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader’s nomination for the next year’s presidential election as the joint candidate of the opposition alliance may be a strong possibility.

“Whoever will be our candidate, we will win the [presidential polls] 90 percent if we run with a joint candidate. The candidacy of [CHP leader Kemal] Kılıçdaroğlu may be a strong possibility,” Karamollaoğlu said in a televised interview late on Aug. 23.

The CHP is the biggest component of the oppositional Nation Alliance, which is composed of six political parties. Türkiye will hold presidential and parliamentary elections in June 2023. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has already announced his nomination as the joint candidate of the People’s Alliance. The Nation Alliance says it will announce its candidate after the election decision is made.

Noting that the Nation Alliance continues to stick together, Karamollaoğlu stressed, “The most important issue is who will be the presidential candidate. There is an agreement on nominating a joint candidate. Our stance is very clear on that.”

“CHP officials want to see Kılıçdaroğlu as the candidate. This is normal. But I can’t voice my opinion about his candidacy. We have no such issue on our agenda now,” he said.

The Felicity Party leader also criticized the government over the economic policies, saying, “Erdoğan has lost the support of the people. He is not a strong candidate.”