Fatih Altaylı's candidacy warning to Mansur Yavaş: 'While even Erdoğan's candidacy is being debated...'

Journalist Fatih Altaylı made notable remarks regarding the presidential candidacy of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş. Altaylı stated that it is unnecessary for the opposition to rush regarding a candidate and that Yavaş, by his very nature, is not eager to step into the spotlight.

The CHP's presidential candidate was announced as Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who received 15.5 million votes. Debates continue regarding the potential cancellation of the university diploma of İmamoğlu, who has been detained since March 23. Despite numerous lawsuits demanding a political ban, he has no finalized conviction. CHP Chairman Özgür Özel had emphasized that İmamoğlu's candidacy could not be changed.

While Özel stated, "The candidacy of a name elected by the votes of millions of people cannot be debated," he also expressed that Mansur Yavaş is "an undeniable option."

"WHY THE RUSH?"

Altaylı, who has been detained since June 22, recalled regarding Yavaş's potential candidacy that even President Erdoğan's candidacy is now being debated in the pro-AKP newspaper Yeni Akit. Altaylı asked, "When Hakan Fidan is being suggested for Erdoğan, why should the opposition determine a candidate now?"

Altaylı used the following expressions:

"The diploma and defamation cases are more important for now. Even if Mansur Yavaş is going to be a candidate, why should he announce it now? So that his diploma gets cancelled or new lawsuits are filed against him? He is a name known to the public. It wouldn't make a difference if he announced it 3 months before the election."

"YAVAŞ IS NOT EAGER TO STEP FORWARD"

Altaylı also touched upon Mansur Yavaş's stance on the candidacy issue. "I spoke with Yavaş at length a few weeks ago. He said, 'I will not step forward while Ekrem İmamoğlu is the candidate.' He placed himself after Özgür Özel. He is not a politician who is eager to be at the forefront," he said.

"THERE IS STILL TIME"

Stating that candidacy debates are meaningless when there are approximately 3 years left until the election, Altaylı made the following assessment:

"Under normal circumstances, the IMM case will not be finalized until the 2028 elections. Therefore, the only obstacle to his candidacy could be the cancellation of his diploma. If that is overturned by the judiciary, there will be no problem. There is a long time until the election, and new names may come to the agenda. If Mansur Yavaş is to be a candidate, the CHP needs to encourage him. However, there is no need to rush to announce it."