Main opposition's Istanbul mayoral candidate concedes defeat

ISTANBUL

Mustafa Sarıgül, mayoral candidate of the main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP) for Istanbul casts his vote during local elections in Istanbul on March 30. AFP Photo

The main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) mayoral candidate for Istanbul, Mustafa Sarıgül, has made the first statement after the ruling party’s Kadir Topbaş led the elections in the city March 30, promising to keep fighting for the future of the country.

Sarıgül said he knew installing and consolidating real democracy was a tough journey, as the elections had shown him once again.

“The general results in Turkey show there is a rough journey ahead of us for the rights, freedoms, democracy and secularism that respects beliefs. We have to continue this journey for our children in an effort to make them live in modern Turkey,” Sarıgül said.

Sarıgül said he wished the elections would have been a milestone for democracy with a clean voting process, but the latest developments in the country, including Twitter and YouTube bans, fake news about the election campaign, attacks on the party’s election offices and electricity blackouts, had prevented it from being so.

He added the CHP had received the highest voting rates in Istanbul so far, but added that it was no consolation.

“Taking shelter in excuses is against my political character,” Sarıgül said, saying everyone should work harder from now on and cooperate.