Nationalist Movement Party

Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials have declined opposition calls for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to resign, following his nomination for the presidential elections, announced on July 1.

“Prime Minister Erdoğan’s resignation due to his candidacy is out of the question,” Deputy Prime Minister Emrullah İşler told reporters on July 2.  

The leaders of five political parties: the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Democratic Left Party (DSP), Democrat Party (DP) and Independent Turkey Party (BTP) met on July 2 and announced a joint declaration of support for Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu’s presidential candidacy.

People’s Democratic Party (HDP) presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtaş symbolically kicked off his campaign July 2 at the infamous Madımak Hotel in Sivas as thousands gathered in the town to commemorate the 21st anniversary of an arson attack in which 35 people were killed, mostly Alevi intellectuals.

As of March 2014, the total number of children in prison and detention centers throughout Turkey stands at 1,686, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ has said.

Bozdağ’s statement came in response to a motion filed by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Ankara deputy Özcan Yeniçeri, Anadolu Agency reported on July 2.

Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, a senior academic and diplomat nominated by Turkey’s two biggest opposition parties as a joint candidate in the upcoming presidential election, has commemorated the Sivas massacre which happened 21 years ago today.

With the announcement of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s candidacy, we now have three contenders for the country’s most prestigious post (if, of course, dissidents in the social democratic main opposition cannot manage to gather 20 signatures to nominate an alternative candidate by July 3).

Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, the joint presidential candidate of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has called for a “democratic and civilized” race, following the nomination of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the upcoming presidential election.

Murat Yetkin murat.yetkin@hdn.com.tr

Though it was not a surprise at all, some 4,000 supporters who were invited to Ankara for the occasion stood up in cheers and slogans to welcome Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s candidacy to become Turkey’s next president.

Murat Yetkin murat.yetkin@hdn.com.tr

Though it was not a surprise at all, some 4,000 supporters who were invited to Ankara for the occasion stood up in cheers and slogans to welcome Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s candidacy to become Turkey’s next president.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has described Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s contention for the upcoming presidential election as “disgraceful,” using examples from Google to support his case.