Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Emrullah Ishler believes that the country will not need to hold the second round of the presidential election, Turkish TRT Haber TV channel reported on Aug.7.
He stated that the single presidential candidate of the opposition, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, can't compete with the country's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ishler went on to add that Ihsanoglu is guided by the instructions of Fethullah Gulen [Islamic political figure currently residing in the U.S.].
"Ihsanoglu and Gulen movement have used religion for political purposes," he stressed.
Ishler underscored that after the victory of Turkey's prime minister in the presidential election, the country will deal with the forces that used religion for their own purposes.
The presidential election in Turkey has been scheduled for August 10, 2014. If none of the candidates gains 51 percent of votes in the first round, the second round will take place on August 24.
About 53,017,214 people in Turkey have the right to vote in the presidential election.
As distinct from the previous presidential election, the Turkish president will be elected by the people, not by the parliament as of 2014, according to the results of a referendum held in 2007. The Turkish president will be elected for five-year term instead of the previous seven-year term, according to the referendum results.
The presidential election will last from 08:00 to 17:00 (local time). The country has banned the broadcast of entertainment programs and the sale of alcoholic beverages on election day.
The official information about the course of the presidential election in Turkey will be provided only by the country's Central Election Commission (CEC) from 08:00 till 21:00 (local time).
The preliminary results of the presidential election in Turkey will be announced on Aug.11 and the country's CEC will announce the official results of the presidential election on Aug.15.
Three candidates are running for the post of president in Turkey.
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party nominated Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's candidacy for the presidential election.
Turkish oppositional Republican People's Party (CHP) nominated the former Secretary-General of the OIC Ekmeleddin lIhsanoglu as a candidate for the presidential election on June 16.
The third presidential candidate is the chairman of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Salahaddin Demirtas.
Edited by CN