Ex-Turkish presidential contender forms new political party

A politician who once ran as a presidential challenger to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, formed a new political party on May 17, months after he broke away from Turkey's main opposition party.

Muharrem Ince, 56, formally applied to the Interior Ministry to establish the Memleket Partisi, or Homeland Party, and was immediately chosen as its chairman.

In February, he left the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, citing policy differences. Four other legislators also left the CHP to join Ince's new party.

The politician ran as CHP's candidate against Erdoğan in Turkey's 2018 presidential election, getting 31% of the votes behind Erdogan's 53% support.

He had become a vocal critic of CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and made unsuccessful bids to replace him as party chairman.

Ince has ruled out any possibility of his movement backing a nationalist political alliance that is led by Erdoğan's ruling party. The CHP is part of a rival alliance with the center-right Good Party and other parties.

muharrem ince,