Turkish academic and diplomat Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has been nominated for the country's presidential race by the two main opposition parties.
The deputy group chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Engin Altay, and the deputy group chairman of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Oktay Vural submitted Ihsanoglu's nomination to the parliament speaker Cemil Cicek on Sunday.
Altay said the parties had offered a presidential nominee to the public who would be able to say of him: "He is my president and protects my rights."
"Ihsanoglu will play an important role in providing peace and democracy in our country, the world and the Middle East," he said.
Vural said Ihsanoglu's name had been negotiated with political parties and non-governmental organizations and a mutual agreement had been reached.
He said: "We have offered Ihsanoglu's name to the public as a democratic alternative."
"Ihsanoglu puts himself up for the Turkey's presidential office as a person who is at peace with our nation's values and the essentials of our republic."
Emphasizing that the presidential election, scheduled for 10 August, will be the first time Turkey's president has been elected by direct popular vote, Cicek said the first paragraph of the Turkish Constitution's Article 101 conveys how important and grand the presidential office is.
"The President is the head of the State. In this capacity, he/she shall represent the Republic of Turkey and the unity of the Turkish Nation; he/she shall ensure the implementation of the Constitution, and the regular and harmonious functioning of the organs of State," Article 104 of the Turkish Constitution stipulates.
Born in Cairo to Turkish parents, Ihsanoglu, 71, retired last year from his post as the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) - the collective body which promotes the interests of 57 member states.
Under his leadership since his election in 2005, the organization became more involved in humanitarian, social and economic areas.
A total of 109 CHP MPs out of 130 supported his candidacy while all 52 MHP lawmakers signed his nominating petition.
Three independent deputies also put their signatures on the petition.
A candidate needs more than 50 percent of the popular vote to be elected in the first round.
If none of the three expected candidates receives the required percentage, a second round will take place on August 24 between the two candidates who received the most votes.
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