Footage of a main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) parliamentarian candidate created uproar on social media, especially among main opposition supporters. Ünal Demirtaş, a CHP candidate in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak, was visiting stores on a street in the Ereğli district to get tradesmen's support for presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for June 24. In one of the stores, Demirtaş said during a conversation with the shopkeeper that it is not a problem for him if they support President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the presidential election, but demanded the shopkeeper's support his candidacy for Parliament. "You can vote for reis [the Chief] in presidential elections. We take no offence. But we want your vote in parliamentary elections," Demirtaş said.
After the video showing his conversation surfaced on social media, Demirtaş received great reaction, especially by the supporters of main opposition.. The CHP previously announced İnce, the party's deputy from the northwestern province of Yalova, as its candidate for the presidential race to face Erdoğan in the elections.
In an attempt to fend off criticism, Demirtaş defended himself by saying that he attempted to change the shopkeeper's mind at least for the parliamentary elections after the shopkeeper said that he is a Justice and Development Party [AK Party] supporter. He added that he is the biggest İnce supporter in the presidential elections.
