Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Vice Chairman Binali Yıldırım and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli submitted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's files on Friday for his re-election in June.
Prime Minister Yildirim and Bahçeli filed Erdoğan's candidacy at the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) for the early elections to be held on June 24.
Speaking afterward, Yıldırım touted the election alliance between the AK Party and the MHP, calling it the "strongest" partnership for the upcoming elections.
"Our alliance is with our nation. When we chose our candidate, we only thought about the future of our nation's prosperity and happiness," Yıldırım said, while MHP's chairman opted not to make a statement at the press conference.
Should he win the June presidential election, Erdoğan would be Turkey's first leader under the new presidential system, which is doing away with the prime minister's post among other changes.
Last month, parliament passed a bill calling for early elections on June 24, cementing Turkey's move to a presidential system. In an April 2017 referendum, Turkish voters approved the switch from a parliamentary system to a presidential one.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that the AK Party will underline three crucial topics in the election campaign: State policies toward ensuring security at home and abroad, the necessity of the state of emergency and the misinformation that the opposition may want to spread will be addressed in rallies and meetings with citizens.
According to party sources, Erdoğan instructed fellow party members to underline what the party has done over the course of the last 16 years. He also told the party to pledge citizens to do more in the upcoming term. The president is expected to announce the electoral manifest of his party on Sunday.
Furthermore, the AK Party will draw attention to threats to Turkey's national security.
"We have taken significant steps in terms of rights and freedoms and democratization. Our stance toward these issues is well-known but we have had to make some decisions to thwart attacks since 2011 targeting the national security of our country," the president reportedly said.
Another issue that will be clarified concerns the state of emergency, in order to stop opposition attempts to exploit it. Declared shortly after the coup attempt that took place on July 15, 2016, the state of emergency has been extended seven times.
The AK Party will reportedly tell citizens that it was declared to preserve the state. Also, the AK Party will underline that Turkey's borders have not changed thanks to the measures taken by the government.
