Turkish secular opposition nominates candidate for president

ISTANBUL – Turkey's main opposition party has nominated lawmaker Muharrem Ince (EEN-jeh) to run against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming presidential election.

Ince, of the secular Republican People's Party, announced his candidacy at a party congress Friday. He said he would not only represent his party's supporters but all of Turkey's 80 million citizens.

Ince has been in parliament since 2002, representing his hometown of Yalova in western Turkey. The 54-year-old former physics teacher has been a fierce critic of Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party.

Turkey's parliamentary and presidential elections, initially scheduled for November 2019, were moved up by more than a year to June 24. The opposition has been scrambling to put forward candidates and establish alliances.