Yılmaz Büyükerşen is greater than today's CHP!

A small city in the middle of the steppe. It is no different from other Anatolian cities in terms of surface area and population. But it has a mayor who is at least 50 years ahead of other cities in terms of the value he places on his people and the civilization he offers!  

The measure of making a city civilized does not come from money. It comes from vision. With his courage and tireless struggle, Yılmaz Büyükerşen, who created a European city in the Anatolian steppe, is a legendary figure today not only for Eskişehir, but for all the Turkish people. He is a supra-political figure in terms of his vision and the value he has added to his country. In every term he was elected, he added new innovations on top of the previous ones.

The people of Eskişehir do not even lock their doors at night. Last year, Eskişehir was chosen as one of the most reliable cities in the world. It ranked third among the world's most livable cities. It was deemed worthy of the “International Livable Communities” award organized by the United Nations.

With seven city theaters, opera houses, a 65-person symphony orchestra, science museums, a wax sculpture museum, an Aviation Museum, a War of Independence Museum, a Revolution Cars Museum, an Air and Space Museum, a Train Museum and many more, a Fairy Tale Castle, and dreamlike parks, Eskişehir is a favorite city today not only for domestic tourism but also for world tourism.

Buying a seasonal ticket and watching theater or a symphony every Friday evening has become a ritual for families and young people living in this city. Queues form at the door, and students benefit from all kinds of artistic activities almost for free. Yılmaz Büyükerşen realized all these services by creating his own resources, against a government that opposed him. At the same time, he is a fearless man of action who sees the future. He demonstrated exemplary municipal management regarding recycling. He produced electricity from garbage and established solid waste conversion and energy production facilities. By putting a sustainable energy action plan into motion, he inspired many mayors. The municipality does not buy anything from outside; it produces its own.

Yılmaz Büyükerşen added new creative services in every term he was elected. He made Eskişehir a city that can compete with European cities. He created a revolution in Turkish municipalism. He even became an example for AKP mayors. Yılmaz Büyükerşen is undoubtedly the most successful mayor of the century-long Republican era. I wish the CHP could have carried him to the Presidency of Turkey as well. Büyükerşen did not want to break the demand of the people of Eskişehir, who wanted to see him as a mayoral candidate for the 6th time in the 2024 local elections, so he became a candidate again. They criticized him for running again; they attacked him for his age. Büyükerşen is 86 years old today, but he has a much greater imagination, vision, and courage than the mayors of 81 provinces. Moreover, he has a magnificent team. He created an institutional structure that works like clockwork. He wakes up at 5 every morning and goes to his workshop. He puts on his white coat and starts the day with art, working on wax sculptures. Yılmaz Büyükerşen, who creates miracles out of impossibilities, is greater than today's CHP. When I knocked on his door for our legends documentary, what he told me in front of those beautiful Sakura trees he brought to Eskişehir never leaves my mind. “I am paying my debt to my country. My greatest works in life are my children and my students. I have nothing else. I am penniless, in other words…”  

Like many citizens, I am also wondering.

The CHP has announced its metropolitan mayoral candidates in many cities so far. Why hasn't it declared Yılmaz Büyükerşen as a candidate yet?