Third-placed candidate endorses Erdoğan in Turkey's runoff vote

President Erdoğan's meeting with Oğan on May 19. (Photo: AA)

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Sinan Oğan, who ran in the first round of the presidential election as the candidate of the right-wing Ancestral Alliance, has announced his support for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the second round.

Having received over 5 percent of the votes in the initial round, Oğan and the now-dissolved Ancestral Alliance were approached by both the ruling and opposition camps ahead of the runoff vote scheduled for May 28.

The main reason for his decision was that the ruling People's Alliance secured the parlimentary majority in the elections held on May 14, Oğan explained at a press conference.

"In the presidential government system, it is crucial for stability that the parliament and the presidency are under the same alliance management. The Nation's Alliance, however, has failed to demonstrate sufficient success against the ruling People's Alliance, which has been in power for 20 years," he said.

"They have not presented a convincing perspective for the future, and, most importantly, they have not been able to secure a parliamentary majority and have missed the factor of stability," added Oğan.

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While Oğan has announced his decision, the Victory (Zafer) Party, the main party who backed him in the first round, has yet to declare its position. Head of the party, Ümit Özdağ, previously said they would make their decision public on Tuesday. He is expected to either remain neutral or endorse the opposition candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

The Victory Party received 2.23 percent of the votes in the parliamentary vote, less than half of Oğan's voting rate.

Quickly responding to Oğan's statement on Twitter, Özdağ reiterated that Oğan's statement "is his own political choice" and "does not represent and bind the Victory Party."

"Our red lines"

At his press conference, Oğan further stated, "Here, I would like to emphasize first and foremost that we have expressed our principles, the values we defend, and our red lines without any bargaining, engagement, or commitment, without making any requests.

"All of our conversations and meetings with both candidates have been conducted in a statesmanlike manner, within the framework of mutual courtesy and respect.

"As a result of these negotiations, consultations, and messages from the grassroots, I declare that we will support Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the candidate of the People's Alliance, in the second round of the elections.

"I also invite the voters who supported us in the first round to support Mr. Erdoğan in the second round.

"It is important to note that we have made this decision after all kinds of consultations, and we believe that our decision will be the right one for our country and our nation." (VK)