page_title: 2018 Turkish presidential election
section_title: Nominations
hierarchical_section_title: 2018 Turkish presidential election / Candidates / Nominations
caption_attribution_description: English: Turkish presidential candidate Meral Akşener submits a signature nominating herself for the presidency
context_page_description: The 2018 Turkish presidential election took place on 24 June 2018 as part of the 2018 general election, alongside parliamentary elections on the same day. Following the approval of constitutional changes in a referendum held in 2017, the elected President will be both the head of state and head of government of Turkey, taking over the latter role from the to-be-abolished office of the Prime Minister.
  The election was originally scheduled for November 2019. Despite insistence from the government that they would not be brought forward, speculation over an early vote continued since the 2017 referendum. After calls from Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli for a snap election, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on 18 April 2018 that it would take place on 24 June.
  Incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared his candidacy for the People's Alliance on 27 April 2018. Erdoğan’s main opposition, the Republican People's Party, nominated Muharrem İnce, a member of the parliament known for his combative opposition and spirited speeches against Erdoğan. The Peoples' Democratic Party nominated the imprisoned ex-chairman Selahattin Demirtaş.
context_section_description: The Constitution of Turkey, amended following the controversial 2017 constitutional referendum, allows any party with a parliamentary group (at least 20 MPs) to nominate a presidential candidate. This meant that the AKP, CHP, HDP, MHP and technically the İyi Party were eligible to automatically nominate candidates through parliament. Meral Akşener, the İyi Party's leader and presidential candidate, opted to be nominated through signatures instead. The MHP, as part of the People's Alliance, did not field a candidate and announced support for the AKP candidate Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The CHP formally nominated Muharrem İnce and the HDP nominated Selahattin Demirtaş. The remaining candidates were required to collect at least 100,000 signatures.
  Voters were able to give signatures to their preferred presidential candidate between 4 May and 9 May at their local electoral council branch. They were only permitted to nominate one candidate. The number of signatures needed to formally become a candidate was 100,000. Seven candidates applied to the YSK to seek nomination by signatures, with three applications being rejected due to insufficient paperwork. As a result, the remaining four successful applicants were as follows.
  Meral Akşener, Leader of the İyi Party
  Temel Karamollaoğlu, Leader of the Felicity Party
  Doğu Perinçek, Leader of the Patriotic Party
  Vecdet Öz, Leader of the Justice Party
  Voters abroad were not eligible to give signatures, prompting Perinçek to appeal to the Constitutional Court, arguing that the YSK had violated the rights of Turkish citizens abroad. Overseas citizens were, however, allowed to send a signed declaration by post to their local electoral council in Turkey. Only 72 overseas citizens did so, with 17 signing for Akşener, 18 signing for Karamollaoğlu, 35 signing for Perinçek and no signatures for Öz.
caption: İyi Party candidate Meral Akşener signs for her own nomination, 4 May 2018
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