Türkiye's electoral commission allows four candidates to run for president

Türkiye's Supreme Electoral Council (SEC) on March 30 approved the final list of four Turkish presidential candidates after reviewing objections filed against them.

According to TASS, this was stated on the air of local TV channels by the head of the SEC, Ahmet Yener.

“A unanimous decision was made to reject objections regarding the possibility of the participation of candidates [incumbent President Recep] Tayyip Erdogan and Muharrem Ince (presidential candidate from the Fatherland Party - TASS note). Thus, it was decided to include Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Muharrem Ince, Tayyip Erdoğan and Sinan Ogan in the final list of candidates. The list has been sent for publication in the Official Gazette, he said. Kılıçdaroğlu is the chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party and nominated by the People's Alliance. Ogan was nominated by the "Alliance of Ataturkists".

Yener also said that during the SEC's review of the applications and objections received, the requests to cancel the elections were rejected.

Earlier, several opposition parties had filed objections to the SEC regarding the eligibility of Erdoğan's participation in the upcoming elections. Opponents of the incumbent president insist that he is now nominated for a third time, which is prohibited by the basic law. The Turkish Ministry of Justice, however, explained that there were no obstacles to his nomination, since after the 2017 referendum on the transition to the presidential system, his term in the highest office was nullified and he is nominated only for the second time after winning the 2018 elections.