Turkey anti-immigrant party leader backs Erdogan’s challenger in runoff

Turkey’s anti-immigrant Victory Party leader endorsed opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu on Wednesday, potentially boosting the challenger as he aims to make up ground and defeat President Tayyip Erdogan in Sunday’s runoff election.
Umit Ozdag, head of the nationalist Victory Party that received 2.2% support in the May 14 parliamentary vote, urged supporters to back Kilicdaroglu in the May 28 runoff in which Erdogan seeks to extend his two-decade rule.
“We have decided to support Mr. Kilicdaroglu in the second round of the presidential elections,” Ozdag said at a news conference in Ankara alongside Kilicdaroglu.
The endorsement could counter-balance one that Erdogan received on Monday from Sinan Ogan, the presidential candidate of the far right alliance led by the Victory Party.
Ogan came in third with 5.2% of the presidential vote, behind Erdogan with 49.5% and Kilicdaroglu with 44.9%.