Early life
Muharrem Ince was born on May 4, 1964 to a rural, religious family who mainly depended on agriculture in the northwestern province of Yalova. He was named Muharrem because he was born in the month of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. He was an “obedient and honest” kid, according to his mother, Zekiye.
The soccer player graduated from Uludag University’s Physics and Chemical Department and became a physics teacher for several years. He was later promoted to principal.
Then he became the head of the Ataturkist Thought Association (ADD), a secular group following the teachings of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who is the father of modern Turkey and the founder of Ince’s national Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Four consecutive victories
He joined CHP in the 1990s and ran for the 2002 parliamentary election from his hometown of Yalova, winning a seat which he has kept for 16 years.
He is known for his fiery speeches during his tenure, especially his December 2010 speech where he slammed the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)’s policies. His speech has been watched by millions on YouTube.
He has also spoken against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its alleged links with Kurdish MPs.
He has served as the party’s parliamentary group deputy head where he led various committees. Ince ran for his party’s presidency against incumbent leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu twice but failed.
‘The president of everyone’
He was declared CHP’s presidential candidate on May 4 which coincided with his 54th birthday.
After the announcement, he immediately went to a mosque in his hometown to attend a congregational prayer and kicked off his campaign.
“I have come to bring together this nation,” he said at his first campaign speech. He said at another rally that he will become the “president of everyone,” referring to Turkey’s 81 million population.
He is known for his simple lifestyle after he danced during his son’s wedding, rode bikes, drove tractors, and worked on his farm land in videos which have gone viral.
Ince fiercely opposed the 2017 constitutional referendum that changed the country’s parliamentary system into a presidential one.
He peppers his rallies with jokes and poses for selfies with his supporters.
Turkish nation
“The Turkish nation is a broader concept than the Turkish race” was a controversial claim by Ince. He said this during a speech at parliament on May 2013 where he said Kurds, Turks, and other races living in Turkey were part of the “Turkish nation.”
He reiterated this during a TV interview by saying that only Turkish languages should be taught at schools “to avoid confusion” because he claimed if different languages are taught “people will not understand each other.”
But he indirectly disavowed his claim on June 11 during a rally in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir where he tried to gain Kurdish votes. He promised to provide Kurdish education at schools if he is elected president, adding that all components of Turkey will be taught Turkish, their mother tongue, and a foreign language.
Ince and the Kurds
The opposition candidate visited the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)’s jailed presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtas at Edirne Prison and called for his rival’s release. His call was followed by similar ones from other opposition candidates.
However, his comments against Kurdish education and his fiery speeches against the PKK and HDP in the parliament are resurfacing on social media. But the HDP has hinted that if Ince enters a race against the incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a possible run-off, they will support him.
What changes can Ince bring?
His election campaign has been seen as the most proactive among other opposition parties who suffer from financial issues.
He has said that he will not impose or ban headscarves, adding that his mother and some other members of his family wear a scarf.
Western media has described him as the only candidate capable of beating Erdogan on the grounds that he might be the one for all opposition parties in the run-off.
Ince has promised to lift the ongoing state of emergency within 48 hours and return a parliamentary system to the country.
