page_title: 2018 Turkish presidential election
section_title: Selection process
hierarchical_section_title: 2018 Turkish presidential election / Candidates / Selection process
caption_attribution_description: English: Abdullah Gül announcing that he will not stand in the 2018 Turkish presidential election
context_page_description: The 2018 Turkish presidential election took place on 24 June 2018 as part of the 2018 general election, alongside parliamentary elections on the same day. Following the approval of constitutional changes in a referendum held in 2017, the elected President will be both the head of state and head of government of Turkey, taking over the latter role from the to-be-abolished office of the Prime Minister.
  The election was originally scheduled for November 2019. Despite insistence from the government that they would not be brought forward, speculation over an early vote continued since the 2017 referendum. After calls from Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli for a snap election, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on 18 April 2018 that it would take place on 24 June.
  Incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared his candidacy for the People's Alliance on 27 April 2018. Erdoğan’s main opposition, the Republican People's Party, nominated Muharrem İnce, a member of the parliament known for his combative opposition and spirited speeches against Erdoğan. The Peoples' Democratic Party nominated the imprisoned ex-chairman Selahattin Demirtaş.
context_section_description: In the run-up to the election, various parties underwent a candidate selection process to nominate presidential candidates.
caption: Former President Abdullah Gül announces that he will not stand as a presidential candidate on 28 April
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