Kilicdaroglu sues Erdogan for defamatory campaign video

Türkiye’s Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu filed a lawsuit against incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for an election video accusing the politician of having links with the country's banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on May 24.

Kılıçdaroğlu's moral damage was estimated at 1 million Turkish liras ($50, 200), his lawyer Celal Kılıç told reporters, TASS reports.

"At the direction of Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a lawsuit was filed against Erdogan for moral damages in the amount of 1 million Turkish liras for using a mounted and fake video in his election campaign. The money will be used to educate the children of our citizens who died in the struggle with terrorism," the lawyer said.

Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu will lock horns in the final showdown of the presidential elections on May 28.

The runoff polls came after none of the presidential hopefuls managed to get 50 per cent of the votes in the first round on May 14, which is enough to win the elections based on the Turkish Constitution.

Back then, Erdogan won 49.51 per cent of the votes, while Kilicdaroglu got 44.88 per cent, and other candidates Sinan Ogan - 5.17 per cent and Muharrem Ince - 0.43 per cent.

Analysts claim Erdogan to edge Kilicdaroglu in the second round of the elections on May 28 after Sinan Ogan announced this week that he would support the incumbent Turkish leader.