Main opposition leader Kılıçdaroğlu, Sarıgül exchange positive union messages

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

Sarıgül is a popular figure in Istanbul, especially in the Şişli district. AA photo

Şişli Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül has responded positively to main opposition leader Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s invitation for his group, the Turkey Movement for Change (TDH), to join the CHP ahead of the upcoming local elections.

“Dear Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s call will be addressed at the top level,” Sarıgül said yesterday.

Kılıçdaroğlu had invited the TDN and all its members to unite with the CHP on Oct. 26. “We don’t have the luxury of being separated,” he had said.

Considered by many as the only politician who can successfully defeat the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the Istanbul mayoral elections, the progressive Sarıgül has long been seen as a potential CHP candidate in the polls.

Popular among the locals of one of Istanbul’s busiest districts, Şişli, Sarıgül had previously said he was expecting a formal invitation from his former party, without disclosing his intentions on whether to run for the Istanbul mayoralty.