Since Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his candidacy on July 1 to run in the presidential race — the first to take place by public vote — the opposition started to focus its objection to his candidacy on legal grounds.

Gursel Tekin, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy chairman, said on July 2, "Erdogan should resign as prime minister the moment his candidacy for the presidency becomes definitive, which is July 3 at the latest. It is not ethical for the prime minister to benefit from the resources of his office while the other two candidates will only rely on their privately raised funds. We expect the prime minister to resign as soon as possible.” 

Opposition Nationalist Action Party (MHP) Deputy Chairman Oktay Vural repeated Tekin's call on July 2 for Erdogan’s resignation. “What is right on legal grounds is for him to resign. What is also right on ethical grounds is for him to resign,” he said. “We believe this candidate must resign as prime minister no later than Friday, July 11.”

Huseyin Celik, spokesman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), however, said July 2 that Erdogan will not resign. “Each general election is an election for the prime minister. When the prime minister re-enters the election to win it for the next term, is he resigning as the prime minister? No,” he said. “The prime minister will therefore not resign. No one should even attempt to argue otherwise.”