He could go down in history as an oppositionist who won a record number of votes for a candidate of the party created by Atatürk. And he will remain an offended politician who split the main opposition force, together with his associates, created a new party, and did not get 2%.

His name is Muharrem Ince. The physics teacher and bright parliamentary tribune twice nominated his candidacy for the post of chairman of the Republican People's Party. Both times he lost to the experienced and 20 years older Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

However, it was Kılıçdaroğlu who invited his internal party rival to try himself in the 2018 presidential race.

Ince gathered hundreds of thousands of people at rallies and was sure that he would at least get to the second round.

However, the opposition then abandoned the single-candidate formula in the first round, agreeing to unite around Erdoğan's opponent in the second.

Erdoğan won with 52%, and Ince came second with 31%. On election night, he did not come out to his supporters and recognized the victory of the incumbent president.

Ince tried to intercept the leadership in the RPP once again, but did not get the votes, left the party, and created his own political project - the "Country" party.

His ratings suddenly soared in February 2023 after a devastating earthquake in the southeast of the country. According to some opinion polls, he gained 12%.

The united opposition failed to convince Ince to go to the parliament with joint lists and support the only candidate against Erdoğan, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. What's more, during the campaign, Ince attacked former party members more often than the government he allegedly stood against.

Ince's rhetoric increasingly resembled the propaganda statements of members of the Justice and Development Party. Kılıçdaroğlu got it for allegedly sympathizing with Kurdish terrorists and for harboring associates of Fethullah Gülen.

However, 3 days before the elections, Ince unexpectedly withdrew from the race. Expectations that he does not benefit the opposition did not come true. In his withdrawal statement, Muharrem Ince accused the opposition of a dirty campaign against him. He explained his move by the fact that he does not want to receive criticism "in the morning after the elections when the opposition will see its defeat."

His Memleket party continues the campaign, but no sociological survey gives it more than 2%. 7% is needed to pass the Mejlis, and a miracle will not happen - Ince's party will be outside the parliament.

His refusal to participate in the race also does not make any legal sense. According to the election calendar, candidates can withdraw from the race until March 31. Otherwise, the name of the candidate will be on the ballot, and the CEC will announce its result.

Today's démarche of Ince only allows him to remove responsibility in the event of Kılıçdaroğlu’s loss and, on the contrary, to claim laurels for the opposition's victory. Two-percent candidate Muharrem Ince began bidding for his political future.