Turkish opposition politician Muharrem Ince has withdrawn his candidacy for Sunday's presidential election. This increases Kemal Kilicdaroglu's chances of winning the first round against incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Friederike Böge
Political correspondent for Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan based in Ankara.
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"I'm withdrawing from the race. I am doing this for my homeland," Ince said at a press conference in Ankara on Thursday.
According to forecasts, Ince could have won a few percent of the vote. He originally belonged to Kilicdaroglu's Republican People's Party (CHP), for which he ran as a presidential candidate in 2018.
After his defeat, Ince left the party in a dispute and founded his own. His candidacy had enraged the CHP because it reduced Kilicdaroglu's chances. His followers had recently spread compromising videos on the Internet, which were supposed to prove that Ince was cheating on his wife. Ince has questioned their authenticity. The former teacher and school principal was particularly popular with young voters. He promised far-reaching educational reforms.