Erdogan's Comeback? Third-Place Finisher Endorses Turkish President For 2nd Election Round

Ahead of Turkey's crucial runoff race, Sinan Ogan, who secured third place in the recent presidential election, endorsed the incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.

What Happened: The ultra-nationalist contender, Ogan, garnered a 5.2% share of the vote in the first round of the election held on May 14.

“We will support the People’s Alliance candidate, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the second round of the elections on May 28,” Ogan said, AFP reported.

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He said it is important that the next president belongs to the same political alliance that secured a majority in parliament. "I invite voters who backed us in the first round to support Erdogan in the second round."

Why It Matters: A second round of voting for Turkish leadership is scheduled for later this week as Erdogan and his main opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu failed to reach the 50% majority threshold. Erdogan had 49.35% votes, while his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu had 44.99%

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If Ogan's 5.2% of voters also vote for Erdogan in the upcoming round of elections, the president could come back to power with a clear majority. Erdogan has been in power in Turkey as either prime minister or president since 2003. The increasingly authoritarian leader faced tough competition this time amid the Middle-Eastern country’s raging inflation. 

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