Our 1 July story wrongly claimed Selahattin Demirtas, the presidential candidate of HDP, jailed in 2010 for alleged links to the PKK. He was actually sentenced but not jailed as he had a seat in the parliament that gave him immunity. Corrected version is as follows.
ANKARA
Turkey's People's Democratic Party (HDP) has submitted the presidential nomination for their co-leader, Selahattin Demirtas, to the parliament speaker, Cemil Cicek.
Demirtas, 41, who was elected to the Turkish parliament in the 2007 elections, was sentenced to 10 months in prison in 2010 for alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK but his sentence was delayed as he had parlimentary immunity.
HDP deputy group chairman Idris Baluken said on Tuesday that Demirtas was the most powerful nominee for Turkey's presidential election in August.
The ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party earlier nominated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as its candidate for the race.
The candidate for the main opposition Republican Peoples Party's (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) is 71-year-old former secretary general of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.
Turkish citizens go to the polls on 10 August to vote for the 12th president of the Republic of Turkey in the first directly elected presidential poll.
A candidate needs more than 50 percent of the popular vote to be elected in the first round.
If none of the three candidates receives the required percentage, a second round on August 24 will take place between the two candidates who received the most votes.
www.aa.com.tr/en
