VP leader Perinçek reaches 100,000 signatures to run in elections

ISTANBUL

The Patriotic Party (VP) leader Doğu Perinçek on May 9 reached the required 100,000 signatures to be a presidential candidate and to qualify to run in the presidential elections on June 24.

Perinçek collected 109,990 signatures, qualifying to run in the elections.

The process for collecting signatures for presidential candidates will continue until 8:00 p.m. on May 9.

İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener and Felicity Party (SP) leader Temel Karamollaoğlu have also collected the required 100,000 signatures.

Akşener was the first to hit the threshold on May 5. As of May 6, the number of signatures given for her has reached more than 170,000.

Karamollaoğlu collected 100,000 signatures on the third day, passing the margin on May 6.

As a result, the number of candidates running in the presidential elections has increased to six, as the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have presented Erdoğan, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has presented İnce and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has presented Demirtaş as their presidential candidate.

According to the new presidential election system, a candidate can either be presented by a political party that has received more than 5 percent of the votes in the previous elections or a political party that has a party group in parliament. They can also be an independent candidate if they collect signatures from 100,000 citizens.