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.”