CHP’s Kılıcdaroglu reiterates call for Ince to join coalition

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairperson and presidential candidate Kemal Kılıcdaroğlu reiterated his call on Muharrem Ince, chairperson of the Homeland Party (MP), on May 11 to join his six-party opposition coalition, Daily Sabah reports.

“My call still stands. Let’s put aside the old resentments. We welcome Mr Ince to Türkiye’s table,” Kılıcdaroglu wrote on Twitter after Ince announced hours earlier that he had withdrawn from the upcoming elections on May 14.

The 59-year-old announced his decision after being targeted by an online smear campaign, which included doctored images of him meeting women and riding in fancy cars.

The move was unexpected as Ince, just a few days ago, insisted on continuing as a candidate and even called on the opposition to withdraw from the elections in his favour.

The secular nationalist picked up 30.6 per cent of the vote when he challenged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 2018 presidential polls.

He then quit the main opposition party and launched his own movement that began to pull votes away from secular leader Kılıcdaroglu – the joint candidate of the main opposition bloc.

“I’m withdrawing my candidacy,” Ince told reporters ahead of the May 14 vote.

“I am doing this for my country.”

The opposition had been accusing him of splitting vote shares against Erdogan by being a presidential candidate and not supporting Kılıcdaroglu.

However, on May 10, he told Sözcü Newspaper he could join the coalition.