Turkey’s two main opposition parties on Sunday formally backed the former head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, to challenge an expected bid for the presidency

Turkey's two main opposition parties on Sunday formally backed the former head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, to challenge an expected bid for the presidency by the country's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) submitted a joint application to parliament to nominate Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, an academic and career diplomat, as their candidate in August presidential elections.

In a televised meeting with Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek, senior opposition lawmakers submitted the signatures making Ihsanoglu the first candidate to formally enter the presidential race.

Born in Cairo to Turkish parents, 70-year-old Ihsanoglu stepped down in December as head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and served as an envoy to Bosnia and Gambia in a long diplomatic career.

Speaking five languages, he is seen as a reconciliatory and moderate figure, in stark contrast to Erdogan, whose uncompromising stance critics say has left Turkish society more polarized than ever.