Mustafa Katranchi, the New Democracy parliamentary candidate from the northeastern Rhodope province of Greece, announced on Monday he was withdrawing from the race after the main opposition said his name had been included in an intelligence report that said about his alleged connections with the Turkish consulate in Komotini.
“My path in politics all these years had the only goal – to continue the harmonious coexistence of Christians and Muslims in the Rhodopes. After the recent events, I withdraw my candidacy from the parliamentary elections on June 25, so as not to disturb the atmosphere of good coexistence in our region,” wrote Katranchi on his Facebook page.
Citing sources in New Democracy, the newspaper cathimerini reported that party secretary Pavlos Marinakis called Katranchi, allegedly to discuss his refusal of the party card. “There was contact with Mr. Katranzis and he responded immediately,” the sources said.
This announcement will have no immediate impact as it is too late to remove a candidate’s name from the ND list, but Catranchi is expected to step down if elected on June 25.
In previous days, main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras claimed that the candidate’s name was included in an intelligence report sent to him by Conservative Party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, alleging that Katranci was “included in the plans of Ankara and the Turkish consulate [во Фракии]”.
The withdrawal of the candidacy was the latest in a political standoff over the alleged loyalty of some Muslim MPs that began after Mitsotakis said: the national intelligence service EYP told him when he was still prime minister that the two Muslim candidates ultimately elected from SYRIZA in the region, Ozgur Ferhat in Rhodope and Hussein Zeybek in Xanthi, were acting in the interests of the Turkish consulate and their victory was the result of propaganda. He said he informed Tsipras of the report and called on SYRIZA to expel them from the party.
Tsipras denied that he was ever briefed on the matter before the election.
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