ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The former head of Turkey's intelligence service, Hakan Fidan, has withdrawn his application to run in a parliamentary election in June, a senior official in the prime minister's office said on Monday.
The withdrawal comes after President Tayyip Erdogan spoke out against Fidan's candidacy, in what was seen as a sign of friction between Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
"Hakan Fidan made such a request and expressed his desire to withdraw. Davutoglu discussed the issue with Erdogan and approved of the withdrawal," the official in the prime ministry told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
(Reporting by Gulsen Solaker; Writing by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Nick Tattersall)
