My candidacy is a national project: İhsanoğlu

SAMSUN

Presidential hopeful Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu during a visit in Samsun, Aug. 7. AA Photo

Presidential hopeful Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu has said his candidacy was “a national agreement project,” adding the country would not stand a “regime crisis,” as it has been facing other such crises, such as the judicial crisis.

“They say my candidacy was a project,” İhsanoğlu said while responding to journalists’ questions in the Black Sea region of Samsun on Aug. 7. “Yes, this is a national project. This is a national agreement project,” he said, referring to the support he has received from political parties.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party had called for his candidacy, İhsanoğlu recalled, adding that 14 more political parties, which are not represented at Parliament, as well as some independent lawmakers, have announced their support for him.

“This is very good,” he said, claiming he would win the elections Aug. 10, as he races against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş. A second round will be held Aug. 24 if no candidate manages to surpass 50 percent of the votes.

A consensus of the two leading opposition parties on his candidacy is also noteworthy, İhsanoğlu said.
Responding to a separate question on Erdoğan’s willingness about switching to a presidential system from the current parliamentary system, İhsanoğlu said such efforts would cause a crisis.

“Turkey is not looking for a new regime,” he said, highlighting the importance of checks and balances.  
Some politicians might demand such a thing, but enacting a regime change without parliamentary voting would cause a crisis, he said.

“We already have a judicial crisis,” he said. “We have a crisis in that we have a lack of justice. If a regime crisis is added to that, the country would be dragged to a point where we wouldn’t like.”