CHP to back any rival against Erdoğan if 2nd round held

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said late Monday that his party will support any candidate against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the second round in the case no candidate passes the 50 percent threshold in the first round of the June 24 presidential elections.

Speaking on the party's election strategy at an interview with broadcaster NTV, Kılıçdaroğlu said he believes that CHP candidate Muharrem İnce will win the election in the first round, but in case of he does not qualify for the second round, the CHP will back Erdoğan's opponent. The second round, if held, is scheduled for July 8.

On May 4, the center-left CHP announced İnce, the party's deputy of the northwestern province of Yalova, as its candidate for the presidential race after it mulled the decision for a long time. A strong rival against current CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu from within the party, İnce comes from a moderate conservative background. The 53-year-old deputy is also portrayed as a populist and a pragmatic figure.

In recent election surveys, Good Party (İP) Chairwoman Meral Akşener has come in third and is considered as one of the possible opponents of Erdoğan, along with İnce, in the second round.

On the nascent İP's side, Akşener stirred the pot on Monday when she said in an interview that İnce would not able to compete with Erdoğan in the second round and that Erdoğan would like to see the him as an opponent so he can clinch an easy victory. She said that even if the İP's electorate supports İnce, it would be nearly impossible to prevail over Erdoğan in the second round. Akşener is known for her traditionalist right-wing stance and embraces such rhetoric in her public meetings.Kılıçdaroğlu also asserted that the Nation Alliance, which was formed by the CHP, the İP, the Felicity Party (SP) and the Democratic Party (DP) for parliamentary elections, will secure a majority in Parliament. He reiterated his pledge to return to the parliamentary system under İnce's administration. In the April 16, 2017 referendum, the public decided to switch from a parliamentary to an executive presidential system with a 51.2 percent vote. The new system is scheduled to take effect with the upcoming presidential election on June 24. As the CHP advocated for the "No" camp during last year's referendum period, İnce has also vowed to bring back the parliamentary system in his election manifesto if he wins.