CHP leader confirms İmamoğlu as Istanbul mayor candidate

ISTANBUL

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has officially confirmed that Ekrem İmamoğlu will once again lead the party's charge as the mayoral candidate in Istanbul for the upcoming local elections scheduled for March next year.

Kılıçdaroğlu made the announcement during an interview with private broadcaster SZC TV on Sept. 12. "If a person is successful in a task, why should he be changed? Of course, Ekrem İmamoğlu is our candidate," he stated.

İmamoğlu first secured victory in the 2019 local elections but faced a setback when the Supreme Election Council (YSK) canceled the initial results, citing irregularities and illegalities. Then in a do-over poll, he won 54.21 percent of the votes, leading the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) candidate Binali Yıldırım to concede the defeat.

The announcement regarding İmamoğlu's candidacy came amid the opposition's internal discussions led by the mayor himself for rejuvenation following the recent electoral setback, which encompasses a shift in party leadership in the upcoming party convention.

The CHP leader last week declared that Mansur Yavaş will also once again be the party's candidate for the mayoral position in the capital Ankara.

In the 2019 local elections, CHP's mayoral candidates received support from the İYİ (Good) Party. However, İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener recently declared her party's intention to field its own candidates in all 81 provinces, including Istanbul and Ankara, for the upcoming local elections.