Sinan Oğan, the candidate who placed third in the first round of the Turkish presidential elections, announced on Monday his support for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, increasing the challenges faced by opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in the upcoming runoff scheduled for next Sunday. Oğan, a hardline nationalist who was not well-known in Turkish circles prior to the elections, received 5.2% of the votes in the first round on May 14, prompting some analysts to label him a potential "kingmaker" in the runoff.
In a press conference in Ankara, Oğan stated, "We will support the People's Alliance candidate, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in the second round," adding that his campaign made Turkish nationalists "key players" in politics. He noted that Kılıçdaroğlu’s Nation Alliance "failed to convince us about the future," while the decision to support Erdoğan was based on the principle of "the continued struggle against terrorism." Analysts indicate that Oğan's endorsement will provide Erdoğan with a boost, but at the same time, it will divide Oğan's supporters.
