Istanbul mayor’s social media post stirs debate

ANKARA

A nationwide debate has been sparked over Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s Twitter post in which he tagged İYİ (Good) Party Chair Meral Akşener and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Pervin Buldan while marking International Women’s Day.

“I congratulate all women politicians and my counterpart mayors across Turkey on March 8, International Women’s Day, as well as İYİ Party Chair Ms. @meral_aksener and HDP Co-Chair Ms. @pervinbuldan,” İmamoğlu tweeted on March 7.

The mayor’s post caused discomfort in İYİ Party while its chair said she found the reactions justified.

“Mr. İmamoğlu posted a message, and our deputy Ağıralioğlu reacted to this. Both come under freedom of thought. Most of my friends did not like it either; they are right,” Akşener said.

Yavuz Ağıralioğlu, deputy chair of the İYİ Party, tweeted that he does not find it right to mention the names of the HDP members with Akşener blaming the party of having proximity with the PKK.

In his response, İmamoğlu said his message aimed only at spreading goodwill. “Our message is written with all good intentions. No one should look for anything to the right, left, or behind of it. It is full of good feelings. Good feelings win, goodness wins. We want to banish all bad feelings in this country,” he stated.