Skip to main content

Turkey's opposition alliance fractures, fails to agree on challenger to Erdogan

The Iyi Party will not support the opposition coalition’s top candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the presidential elections.

Kilicdaroglu and Aksener
Chair of the Republican People's Party Kemal Kilicdaroglu (L) and leader of the Iyi Party Meral Aksener (R) hold a press conference in Ankara on April 8, 2019. — ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s nationalist Good (Iyi) Party leader Meral Aksener announced on Friday that her party would not support the opposition coalition's joint candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu to challenge Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the critical presidential elections expected to be held on May 14, dealing a blow to the opposition's chances of winning against the country’s strongman incumbent. 

Striking an unusually harsh tone, Aksener said the insistence of the five other parties in the six-member opposition bloc on Kilicdaroglu’s candidacy was not a rational choice. 

Related Topics

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in