Presidential candidate İhsanoğlu calls rivals, leaders to wish happy holiday

Presidential hopeful Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu has given warm holiday messages over the telephone to his presidential rivals, as well as to the leaders of political parties, outgoing President Abdullah Gül and Turkish Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu.

Along with Turkish and Cypriot political leaders, the joint presidential candidate of nine parties, including the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), called Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) candidate Selahattin Demirtaş on the first day of the holiday.

İhsanoğlu, who is running for the presidential election, which will be held on Aug. 10, reportedly gave his holiday greetings to Erdoğan, saying “I wish a happy holiday for you, your children and grandchildren.”

Erdoğan, who has openly criticized İhsanoğlu during his recent presidential rallies, responded positively to his rival by giving the same message.

The joint candidate also had a warm conversation with the HDP candidate Demirtaş as the two competitors talked about İhsanoğlu’s rally in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on July 25.

After Demirtaş told him, “I heard you had a good rally,” İhsanoğlu reportedly said, “I wished you were there. We would have had a chance to meet.”

İhsanoğlu had previously made a surprising gesture by donating some money to the campaign bank accounts of his two rivals.