Turkey's six opposition parties can't agree on nominating a single candidate who could challenge incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in what promises to be the toughest upcoming election of his 20 years in office, POLITICO writes..

If the parties fail to find common ground in the coming days, differences in their camp are likely to play in favor of Erdogan, whose positions analysts see as extremely vulnerable amid double-digit inflation in the country and criticism over his response to last month's devastating earthquakes that killed dozens.

The next presidential election in Turkey, scheduled for May 14, promises to be one of the most strategically significant..

The results will be closely watched by the whole world, as they will determine whether Erdogan will lead the country of 85 million in a more traditionalist, religiously conservative direction, or whether a new leader will be elected who can restore damaged relations with the West..

Key member of the coalition, Turkish right-wing Good Party (IYI) leader Meral Aksener announced her withdrawal from the coalition, saying she had "

Cracks in the broader alliance began to show on Thursday when six parties met to discuss a common candidate in the upcoming presidential election and failed to even agree on a name for the future bloc..

Aksener suggested giving preference to Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavash or Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu over Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition party, who is considered the favorite for the seat..

That remains the main dilemma for the opposition: support Kilicdaroglu, a 74-year-old former official who led the center-left Republican People's Party (CHP) for more than a decade, or his fellow party member, Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu.

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However, analysts doubt his ability to challenge Erdogan in a real way, and Kilicdaroglu's political victories have not translated into his ratings.. According to the latest polls, only 40% of the Turkish population were satisfied that he became the leader of the opposition..

Many believe Imamoglu, 52, who ended 25 years of AKP rule in Istanbul after being elected in 2019, could be a more dynamic candidate.

But last December, the mayor of Istanbul was sentenced to 31 months in prison for insulting members of Turkey's High Electoral Commission, which hurt his chances of running for office..

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Imamoglu filed an appeal against the verdict and remains in office for the time being.

But the court's final decision could be made before the election - and if he is convicted, he will not be able to run, leaving the opposition without a main candidate..

The actions of the Turkish authorities to rescue the victims of the earthquake arouse indignation among the Turks and accuse them of slowness. But will this discontent affect President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's chances of winning the election The answer was sought by Vladimir Kravchenko in the article “Earthquake in Turkey: a “black swan” flew to Erdogan.