Turkey itself. Presidential candidate withdraws candidacy, Erdogan’s main rival accuses Russia of campaign meddling

Muharrem Ince, one of four candidates in Turkey’s presidential election on Sunday, withdrew his candidacy on Thursday. “The opposition has no chance of making excuses if it loses the election,” said Republican Party (CHP) politician leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a staunch rival of re-election candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ince’s support plummeted after rumors of a sex tape she allegedly appeared on, and is at just over 2 percent in recent polls. “What I have seen in the last 45 days, I have not seen in the last 45 years. Fake receipts, fake photos. Someone took a picture from an Israeli porn site and pasted my head on it.

“Dear Russian friends, you are behind these montages, deeply fake content, posts published yesterday. If you want our friendship after Sunday’s election, leave our state. We stand for continued cooperation and friendship,” Klikdaroglu tweeted in Turkish. Russian.

In this context, the politician commented on the alleged sex tapes that led to the resignation of one of the presidential candidates on Thursday.

A Konda poll published on Thursday has Kilicdaroglu five points ahead of Erdogan. On Sunday, Turks will elect representatives to the 600-seat parliament, the Grand National Assembly.

According to a poll conducted by the Yoneylem Center, President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the parliamentary elections – 35 percent. Kilicdaroglu’s party won nearly 31 percent, while its protégé Good Party (IYI) won 10 percent.

The pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP), the green left party contesting the election, received only 9 percent of the vote, and the ruling coalition’s National Action Party (MHP) – 6 percent. .