11 opposition mayors voice support for opposition alliance

KONYA

The mayors of 11 metropolitan municipalities being run by the opposition parties have expressed support for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu after a court decision that can remove him from his job and voiced confidence in main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

Mayors of Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Adana, Antalya, Mersin, Muğla, Aydın, Eskişehir, Hatay and Tekirdağ came together at a meeting in Konya on Dec. 24 following a court decision against İmamoğlu that imposes a political ban and jail term of more than two-and-a-half years. In addition, Interior Ministry has launched an investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality on the grounds it recruited people with terror links.

“The current regime’s attack through judicial mechanisms is targeting the future of the democracy of Türkiye. It is an attack against the future of the youth,” a joint statement by the mayors said, vowing they won’t accept it.

The mayors said this attack is stemming from the fear of the government which sees that it is losing the looming presidential and parliamentary elections, the statement read, underlining these efforts of political engineering will fail to change the people’s will. “Our confidence in our people’s wisdom, conscience and common sense is full. People will protect its will and give a lesson to those who try to garner unlimited power to themselves.”

Recalling that 11 mayors were selected as a result of unity between six political parties in 2019, the joint statement expressed confidence that the Nation Alliance will claim victory in the 2023 elections.

“In this journey, we have full confidence in our Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Our confidence that the six-party alliance will bring a big election victory in 2023 as well.”