Turkey's third-place candidate endorses Erdogan in runoff

Sinan Ogan, presidential candidate of Turkey's right-wing nationalist Ata Alliance in the May 14 Turkish presidential elections, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Ankara, Turkey, May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's third-place election candidate endorsed President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, boosting the incumbent and intensifying the challenges for opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in a Sunday runoff vote.

Sinan Ogan, a hardline nationalist who was little known among the broader public before the campaign, won 5.2% support in the initial presidential election on May 14, prompting some analysts to call him a potential "kingmaker" for the runoff.