A Turkish chef from the western city of Mugla is just one ordinary citizen putting himself forward as a candidate for president in August 10th elections.
According to presidential election law, a candidate should hold Turkish nationality, be older than forty, and hold a university degree. At least twenty deputies from national parliament should also support that candidate. If a candidate meets all these requirements, s/he can submit her/his application to the Supreme Election Board.
Mehmet Kazak says he meets all the requirements and has been sending letters to deputies, requesting support for his candidacy.
Kazak says he knows his chances are slim but says he wants to prove that he has the courage to take part in such a race. If he gets the backing from deputies, he will start preparations for the election, he says.
If he wins the backing he will be up against the opposition candidate, muslim scholar Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. Dubbed "wise man' by the opposition, Ihsanoglu is the former secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The ruling AK Party has not yet announced its candidate, but it is widely expected to be current Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ulviye Kafali Olgun, a philosophy teacher from Antalya, is still waiting for replies to the letters to deputies she sent out in April asking for support. Olgun says her main aim is to take responsibility for solving the country’s problems instead of just complaining about problems. She did not elaborate as to what the problems are.
Meanwhile, Turkish citizens living abroad will need to visit the website of the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey between July 21 to July 26 to choose when they can vote for the upcoming presidential elections.
Overseas voters are required to file a registration application on www.ysk.gov.tr in order to choose their own election date. Registration process of the will start at 0800 am (local time) on July 21 and finish at 0500 pm (local time) on July 25.
If any voter does not file a registration for the date till the deadline, the system will give them a date automatically. And if voters do not go to the polls on the day, they will not be allowed to cast votes on any other day.
Election process at the customs gates will start on July 26, while the process at the foreign representative offices will begin on July 31 and will continue till August 3.
The vote will be the first time that Turkey's president is elected by direct popular vote.
A presidential candidate will need more than 50 percent of the popular vote to be elected in the first round. If no one receives the required percentage, there will be a second round on August 24 between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first.
www.aa.com.tr/en
