Good Party leader vows to defend Istanbul Mayor after court decision

ANKARA

Good (İYİ) Party Chairwoman Meral Akşener has vowed to defend Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu as he is risking losing his job due to a court decision.

“We are here, and we will not allow you to [illegally] seize Istanbul. For you, democracy can be a tool but for us it is an indispensable objective for the existence of the Turkish state and the comfort of the Turkish people,” Akşener told her parliamentary group at a weekly address on Dec. 21.

She referred to a court decision against Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu which stipulates more than a two-and-half year prison sentence and imposes a political ban. If the local court’s decision is approved by the appeals court, İmamoğlu may lose his seat as Istanbul Mayor.

“The success of our mayors in Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Antalya and elsewhere is making an important part of our success as the Nation Alliance,” she said.

She vowed to win parliamentary and presidential elections in 2023 in a historic way and restore the strengthened parliamentary system in order to avoid future crises.