The candidates in the race for the Turkish presidency have been determined. As things stand at present, the incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will have to face three challengers on May 14, according to a list of candidates published in the government gazette on Friday night. In addition to the head of the strongest opposition party, CHP, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Erdogan's 2018 challenger, Muharrem Ince, and Sinan Ogan are also listed for the May 14 election.

According to current polls, it will be a tight race, especially between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu as the candidates with the most votes. Against this background, Ince's candidacy had fueled a discussion as to whether he was not thereby splitting the opposition and thus acting contrary to his declared goal of letting Erdogan resign.

In 2018, Ince was defeated as a candidate by the CHP Erdogan, now he is running for his smallest party, the Home Party. CHP politician Kilicdaroglu is campaigning as the top candidate in a six-party alliance. According to polls, Ince is well behind Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu. Sinan Ogan, candidate for a right-wing alliance and former member of the ultra-nationalist MHP party, is also considered an outsider.

In the first ballot, a candidate must get more than 50 percent of the votes. If that doesn't happen, there will be a duel between the two strongest candidates two weeks after the first election date. On May 14, the Turkish parliament will also be re-elected.