It is now final that a total of four candidates will be competing in Türkiye’s upcoming elections on May 14, according to the list released by the Supreme Election Council (YSK) on Monday.

"As a result of consultations, by alphabetical order, Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Mr. Muharrem Ince, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Mr. Sinan Oğan have been determined as the presidential candidates for the May 14, 2023, Presidential and Parliamentary Elections," the head of the YSK, Ahmet Yener, announced as the application window for candidates nominated by voters came to a close.

A total of 332,156 voters submitted applications for 11 candidates, according to Yener. In addition to Ince and Oğan, who respectively manage to collect 114,661 and 111,508 signatures for their candidacy to be ratified, nine other names were in the pool.

A candidate must have at least 100,000 applications in order to qualify for the competition.

Politicians like Muhammed Ali Fatih Erbakan, the chair of the New Welfare Party (YRP) who renounced his candidacy to endorse incumbent President Erdoğan in the elections, left-wing Patriotic Party leader Doğu Perinçek, and independent contenders Yakup Türkal and Erkan Trükten were among those that failed to reach the threshold.

"May this election do good for the Turkish nation and democracy," Yener said.

Hours after his announcement, the board’s decision was released in the Official Gazette, kicking off the objection period.

The YSK will be accepting objections to the standing candidates until 5 p.m. on March 29, and once it concludes all cases, the final list of presidential candidates will be announced via the Official Gazette on March 31 and the official election campaigns will take off just a little over a month ahead of the anticipated polls.

While Muharrem Ince, a former teacher who personally lost to both Kılıçdaroğlu and Erdoğan in the 2018 presidential vote, and Oğan, a former member of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), boast strong rhetoric, but the race is broadly considered to be between Erdoğan and Kılıçdaroğlu.

The latest preelection surveys have placed Erdoğan ahead of his rivals, showing that he would be the absolute winner if the vote prolongs into a second round, which would take place a week after May 14.

Regardless, all four candidates will be treading the delicate balance of persuading voters without overbearing in the wake of the devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes, which only piled on top of an existing cost-of-living crisis.

Early on Tuesday, Ince’s Homeland Party (MP) became the first party to file an objection as it formally opposed Erdoğan’s candidacy, citing a constitutional article that stipulates a candidate cannot run more than twice.

"Mr. Erdoğan is running for the third time and this is legally not possible. That’s why we’re objecting," the party secretary said. Three other parties followed suit.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) too previously made the same argument but the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) dismissed the claims, with spokesperson Ömer Çelik explaining that Erdoğan would be running for his second term on May 14, based on Article 3 of the Presidential Election Law stating that the president could run for one more time if Parliament renews elections during their rule, which is what Erdoğan did with an official decree earlier this month.

Çelik reiterated on Tuesday that there was "no legal obstacle in front of President Erdoğan’s candidacy."

"His application for candidacy was made in line with the procedure. This so-called debate over his candidacy proves bad habits that try to shape politics through illegal means have been revived," he said.

Alliances realigned

Meanwhile, all eligible parties under the banner of various alliances are reshuffling to bolster support and expand their reach in the run-up to the vote, now widely dubbed the most critical election in Türkiye’s recent history.

The AK Party-led People’s Alliance, along with partners MHP and the Great Union Party (BBP), recently welcomed backing from Erbakan’s New Welfare Party and the Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) as Kılıçdaroğlu’s six-party opposition bloc Nation Alliance is looking to draw in support from the People's Democratic Party (HDP), a party closely affiliated with the PKK terrorist group.

The party, generally accused of funneling state funds to the terrorists and acting as their "political façade," has shown tacit support for Kılıçdaroğlu in recent weeks after announcing it would not field its own candidate. Its mainly Kurdish voter base constitutes some 10% support nationwide, an amount that could prove critical in a tight race. However, there is both internal and outside criticism of Kılıçdaroğlu’s proximity to the party on the grounds of it’s "blatant fraternization with terrorist groups."

Also on Tuesday, the HDP co-Chair Mithar Sancar announced the party would release its electoral declaration on March 30 "at a great meeting."

Up for grabs

In the meantime, parties accepted applications for parliamentary seats last week in an influx that saw some 6,025 people, primarily women, choosing the AK Party and about 3,500 others putting their names in with the AK Party’s main rival CHP.

Candidates will compete for 600 seats in the unicameral Turkish Parliament, which is formally known as the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM). But first, they need to move to the next step: approval of parties’ administrations. The candidate-picking process is often shrouded in mystery though loyalty to the party and political experience are among the main criteria. In other cases, parties themselves nominate candidates instead of in-person applications.

In the upcoming vote, the AK Party plans to field ministers as candidates from big cities. Erdoğan has also recently announced that Vice President Fuat Oktay will be nominated for Parliament from the capital Ankara. Erdoğan has formed a largely technocrat government and none of his ministers were members of Parliament as was the case in past governments. But the AK Party plans to change this in the upcoming elections, particularly by nominating ministers from provinces hit by the Feb. 6 earthquakes in the country’s south.