Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his candidacy for the 2023 presidential election, and called on the main opposition leader to do the same, news website Duva reported.

"I am announcing it now. The People's Alliance candidate is Tayyip Erdogan," the Turkish leader said, referring to the alliance of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) with the far-right Nationalis Movement Party (MNP).

The economic crisis is undermining support for a president who has been in power for nearly two decades. Erdogan is second to several prominent opposition figures in numerous polls.

Annual inflation accelerated to 73.5 percent last month, according to the country's statistics agency, and the lira has lost nearly a quarter of its value this year after falling 44 percent against the dollar in 2021.

The Republican People's Party leads an opposition alliance of six parties with a common platform aimed at abolishing Turkey's presidential system of government, which gave Erdogan sweeping executive powers in 2018.

 The alliance has not yet officially announced its presidential candidate, but the RPP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has hinted at his candidacy.

According to a May poll conducted by Turkish pollster Metropoll, nearly 60 percent of Turkish voters do not believe Erdogan can fix the economic situation.

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10.06.2022 10:55