Nationalist party airs Istanbul mayor candidate in heated race

ISTANBUL

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has announced his party’s 56 provincial candidates for the upcoming local elections, naming Rasim Acar as the MHP nominee for the heated Istanbul mayoral race. “The election to be held on March 30 is a critical turning point,” Bahçeli said yesterday at a ceremony held in a sports complex in Istanbul in which he declared the names. 

“This is a milestone and democracy test. For the saving of our national identity, the March 30 corner should be turned safe and sound,” he said.

The hottest announcement Bahçeli made yesterday was his party’s nominees for the Istanbul mayoral seat. Bahçeli, who was expected to nominate former health minister Osman Durmuş for the seat, surprised the public by announcing the name of Acar, who stands out among other candidates for his young age.

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) nnounced current mayor Kadir Topbaş will run again for the post, while Sırrı Süreyya Önder has been officially named as the People’s Democratic Party (HDP)’s Istanbul candidate.