İnce Presser @ 2PM Local Time, Could Withdraw In Boost To Kılıçdaroğlu

Presidential candidate Muharrem İnce is set to hold a press conference at 1400 local time (0700ET, 1200BST/1300CET) according to wires, with speculation that he could unofficially withdraw from the race and offer his backing to main opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

• Given that the presser comes just days before the first round of the presidential election (14 May), İnce will not be able to officially withdraw from the race, as his name will still be on the ballot paper.
• Opinion polls give İnce and his populist pro-EU Homeland Party around 2-5% in presidential opinion polling. Given the extremely tight race between Kılıçdaroğlu and incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, even gaining a proportion of İnce's votes could be enough to push Kılıçdaroğlu over the 50%+1 mark and give him a first-round win.
• It is of course possible that İnce will not announce his withdrawal. Having missed campaign events earlier in the week due to illness it is possible that the former CHP presidential candidate will use the presser to seek to reinvigorate his campaign.
• In the eight opinion polls carried out since the official ban on polling came in on 4 May, Kılıçdaroğlu has led in six, Erdoğan in two. In all six polls where Kılıçdaroğlu led, if his numbers are combined with İnce's then the opposition win in the first round.