Election diary - March 27, 2023

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Countdown

The election calendar is moving forward fast in Turkey.

Today is the last day for people to give their signatures in support of presidential candidates nominated by voters. Signatures can be submitted until 20:00 pm today. Out of eleven approved applications, two people were able to collect 100 thousand signatures until now.

Muharrem İnce, who has over 111 thousand signatures as of yesterday was the presidential candidate of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in 2018. 

Sinan Oğan, ex-member and MP of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) who was expelled from the party has over 107 thousand signatures. 

Fatih Erbakan, the president of the New Welfare Party, had over 69 thousand signatures as of yesterday.

Today it was announced that Hacer Foggo, the coordinator of the Poverty Solidarity Office of CHP and founder of Deep Poverty Network, and Kemal Özkiraz, the chair of Avrasya opinion research company will be candidates for MP on the CHP list.

Işık Öğütçü, son of Mehmet Raşit Öğütçü, the famous writer of novels in Turkish, known by the name Orhan Kemal, also applied to CHP for candidacy for MP. 

Mısra Öz, who lost her 9-year-old son in the Çorlu train accident in 2018 will be a candidate for MP in the Turkey Worker's Party (TİP) lists. 

İsmail Aktaş, the editor-in-chief of the Golik magazine will be a candidate under the Green Left Party (GLP) and journalist İshak Karakaş will also be a candidate on the GLP list.

Over the weekend

The election calendar moved fast during the weekend, too. 

The Supreme Election Council (YSK) unanimously approved the presidential candidacies of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on Sunday.

Many made their applications for candidacy for Member of Parliament during the weekend.

Ferhat Kabaiş, consultant of Selahattin Demirtaş, the imprisoned ex-chairperson of the People's Democratic Party (HDP) applied for candidacy to the Green Left Party (GLP). HDP, facing closure risk, will compete in the elections under GLP.

Hasan Cemal, a prominent journalist, Kerem Fırtına, an actor in popular TV series, Zana Farqînî, a Kurdish writer, translater and linguist, Öztürk Türkdoğan, the chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD), Mehmet Emin Aktar, ex-chair of Diyarbakır Bar Association, and Yuhanna Aktaş, the chair of the Union of Mardin Assyrian Unity will also be candidates for MP under GLP. The application period for candidacies ended in GLP on Sunday. The party will announce the lists of candidates on April 9, and submit them to YSK on April 10.

Tuncay Koç, a lawyer known for law cases concerning objections to hydraulic power stations, other environmental problems, and mine accidents applied for candidacy to Turkey Worker's Party (TİP). TİPwill be competing in the Labor and Freedom Alliance including HDP but under its own lists. The party has extended the period for applications for candidacy.

Journalist and TV program host Sedef Kabaş will be a candidate for MP under CHP. She announced her candidacy during a live program on TV. Nilüfer Tatar, Ali Tatar's wife will also be a candidate on CHP lists. Ali Tatar was a navy commander who committed suicide while standing trial as a suspect in the "Ergenekon case" in 2009. (Mİ/PE)