President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received the leader of a political party that endorsed him in May’s presidential elections on Wednesday.
A meeting with Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu, chair of the Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR), came one day after the Turkish leader received New Welfare Party (YRP) head Fatih Erbakan, who also supported Erdoğan in the general elections.
Both parties embraced the People’s Alliance led by Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party), but it is unclear whether they will remain in alliance for the March 2024 municipal elections. The YRP earlier announced that they would nominate their own candidates for municipal seats in some provinces. Political pundits say the YRP and HÜDA-PAR can still endorse AK Party candidates in some constituencies, based on voter support for the ruling party in the given constituency.
The opposition’s alliance against Erdoğan in the presidential vote is not expected to repeat in the March elections. The Good Party (IP) has announced that they would not ally with the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the chief rival of the AK Party, which seeks to regain the mayors' seats in big cities like Istanbul and Ankara from the CHP.
