Tens of thousands at the election rally of Erdogan's opponents in Izmir

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Izmir last night at the pre-election rally of Muharrem Ince, the main opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming presidential elections, which are being held on Sunday.

The organizers stated that 2,5 million people participated in the rally, but that number could not be confirmed from independent sources, according to the Agence France-Presse.

According to analysts, Muharem Indže could enter the second round of presidential elections with Erdogan on July 8.

Although Erdogan, who is running for a new mandate, is still the most popular man in Turkey, polls show that it is not certain that he will win the 50 percent of votes needed to win in the first round.

"Erdogan is a tired person ... an arrogant man who has no respect for his people," Indže told the crowd.

Indže (54) is the candidate of the main opposition party, the social democratic Republican People's Party (CHP). He has established himself as the fiercest critic of Erdogan, who has undisputedly ruled the Turkish political scene since 2003, first as prime minister and then as president.

Indže pledged that, if elected, he would rule without excluding anyone. "Women with a veil or without a veil, leftists or rightists, Turks or Kurds, Alevis or Sunnis, there is no difference," he said.

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