İmamoğlu addresses Erdoğan at candidate introduction meeting

The Republican People's Party (CHP) has introduced its Istanbul district candidates.

Speaking at the meeting, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said, "The Istanbul election is not an election of person A or person B. As your fellow traveler, I say this: let no one have any doubt that I will fight with infinite strength and on a journey of infinite idealism without blinking an eye. There is no turning back from this path. This is not just a journey to win an election in Istanbul," he stated.

RESPONSE TO ERDOĞAN REGARDING HATAY

Addressing Erdoğan's remarks in Hatay, İmamoğlu said:

"I see such statements... He says, 'If the local administration and the central government are not the same, services will not come; look at Hatay, did they come?' He is saying this in an earthquake zone. Then he says, 'We are not like the CHP, which only provides services to those who vote for them.' This is very shameful, very pathetic. This means mocking the nation. This is making fun of the nation's will. But the nation will not be deceived. In 5 years, we have addressed dozens of issues that had not occurred to those before us and had been neglected. We did not create rent for anyone, we did not waste the public's resources."

CHP'S ISTANBUL DISTRICT CANDIDATES

The district mayoral candidates for Istanbul are as follows:

Adalar Mayoral Candidate Ali Ercan Akpolat

Arnavutköy Mayoral Candidate Tekin Aras

Ataşehir Mayoral Candidate Onursal Adıgüzel

Avcılar Mayoral Candidate Utku Caner Çaykara

Bağcılar Mayoral Candidate Cem Kılıç

Bahçelievler Mayoral Candidate Emine Gülizar Emecan

Bakırköy Mayoral Candidate Ayşegül Özdemir Ovalıoğlu

Başakşehir Mayoral Candidate Mesut Öksüz

Bayrampaşa Mayoral Candidate Hasan Mutlu

Beşiktaş Mayoral Candidate Rıza Akpolat

Beykoz Mayoral Candidate Alaattin Köseler

Beylikdüzü Mayoral Candidate Mehmet Murat Çalık

Beyoğlu Mayoral Candidate İnan Güney

Büyükçekmece Mayoral Candidate Hasan Akgün

Çatalca Mayoral Candidate Erhan Güzel

Çekmeköy Mayoral Candidate Orhan Çerkez

Esenler Mayoral Candidate Hasan Dalkıran

Esenyurt Mayoral Candidate Ali Gökmen

Eyüpsultan Mayoral Candidate Mithat Bülent Özmen

Fatih Mayoral Candidate Mahir Polat

Gaziosmanpaşa Mayoral Candidate Hakan Bahçetepe

Güngören Mayoral Candidate Temel Akkoç

Kadıköy Mayoral Candidate Mesut Kösedağı

Kağıthane Mayoral Candidate Tonguç Çoban

Kartal Mayoral Candidate Gökhan Yüksel

Küçükçekmece Mayoral Candidate Kemal Çebi

Maltepe Mayoral Candidate Esin Köymen

Pendik Mayoral Candidate Süleyman Tarık Balyalı

Sancaktepe Mayoral Candidate Alper Yeğin

Sarıyer Mayoral Candidate Mustafa Oktay Aksu

Silivri Mayoral Candidate Bora Balcıoğlu

Sultanbeyli Mayoral Candidate Ayhan Koç

Sultangazi Mayoral Candidate Ferhat Epözdemir

Şile Mayoral Candidate Özgür Kabadayı

Şişli Mayoral Candidate Resul Emrah Şahan

Tuzla Mayoral Candidate Eren Ali Bingöl

Ümraniye Mayoral Candidate Aykut Erdoğdu

Üsküdar Mayoral Candidate Sinem Dedetaş

Zeytinburnu Mayoral Candidate Onur Soytürk

Highlights from İmamoğlu's statements:

There will be those who are upset; everyone has been appointed, become a candidate, won, or lost as a mayor in this party at some point in time; it is all a process. A hundred stories can come out of it, discussions can be held. I assure you here, in the presence of all of you, I thank our provincial chairman. With the system established by the provincial chairman, by researching district by district, talking to district chairmen—look, I also know the district chairmanship processes, so I know what kind of interest is shown to candidate nominees or how the interest process is for mayors—the process managed was the most investigative, most democratic, and showed the necessary respect to everyone that I have witnessed in 4 processes.

May our candidates be beneficial to our party. My provincial chairman, I thank you, it is that clear. The Istanbul election is not an election of person A or person B. As your fellow traveler, I say this: let no one have any doubt that I will fight with infinite strength and on a journey of infinite idealism without blinking an eye. There is no turning back from this path. This is not just a journey to win an election in Istanbul.

"THIS IS THE CHP PODIUM, EVERYONE MUST RESPECT IT"

Due to the political landscape presented today, despite all formations, it is a great journey that will be carried out in a way that protects the alliance of the people, the consensus of the city, and the interests of this city to the last drop by people of different political views. In that respect, express your emotional reactions or any grievances, I welcome them with respect, but this is the CHP podium; just as this podium respects you, everyone here must also respect this podium.

For five years, we have tried and are trying every way to work with all district municipalities without any party discrimination, but every time we encounter some resistance. The whole country knows where this resistance comes from and who it is. Unfortunately, many AKP district mayors could not even stand side by side with us. Even though we took their opinions, even though we invited them to openings for every job we did in their districts, they could not come. There are those who choose this, and there are those who come. I thank them. As a district mayor, I was never invited once, never visited once; during my district mayoralty period, if they had come twenty times, I would have toured with them. Because these offices are offices that belong to the nation; that is what they do not understand. They do not feel responsible to the citizens, they feel responsible to one person. We will tear this down, we will tear this down! They take orders not from the people, but from one person.

RESPONSE TO ERDOĞAN'S REMARKS IN HATAY

This means mocking the nation, this is making fun of the nation's will. But the nation will not be deceived. You will see, we will continue to work for our nation because whatever we did, we did for this nation, and we did it much faster, much cheaper, and in a higher quality and more correct way than they did. In the first term, we built 65 km of roads; they managed Istanbul for five terms, and even when the government belonged to them for 20 years, they could not build this much metro. They do not have a single term where they could do it with this speed and with such a proper financing method. Even if they wanted to, they could not do it. These things cannot be done with a management mentality that serves their waste regime and a business ethic that distributes public resources to friends and acquaintances.

Look, in five years, we have addressed dozens of issues that had not occurred to those before us and had been neglected. Whatever we did, we did not create rent for anyone, we did not plunder green spaces or squares. On the contrary, we revived these places, we beautified them. Whatever was hidden from the public, we opened to the use of the citizens. Sometimes, unfortunately, they even tried to stand against us without hesitation using the power of the state. They used our police as a tool for their own ambitions. But we did not give up. Well, if there is anyone occupying the public's property, we went and demolished it, and we will continue to demolish it. We started an era where 16 million people win, not one person. Istanbul has succeeded in changing the direction of the flow of power and money. We will not let you betray it. We will continue to be the guardians of Istanbul.

"ISTANBULITES DO NOT WANT A RETURN TO THAT OLD ERA OF WASTE"

It was not easy at all for the power and especially the direction of this flow to change in this city. We experienced investigations, we experienced obstacles; every time, Istanbulites were by our side. With our 16 million people, we broke this game. We say it is not me or us, but Istanbul that succeeded. Istanbulites will continue to take part in the great change that will overturn all the small calculations of daily politics, and that Istanbulites will see with their own eyes and beautify their lives. Some people and parties may see this as a matter of fortune and survival, they may try to pull the Istanbul elections into other channels, but the agenda of Istanbulites is clear.

Istanbulites want more social support, more green space, more nurseries, more city restaurants, more sports facilities. They see and know that only we can achieve all of this. Istanbulites want the serious policies we have demonstrated in preparation for earthquakes to increase. Istanbulites never want a return to that old era of waste and betrayal.

This brother of yours promises you: in this city, without looking at anyone's faith, anyone's political thought, anyone's lifestyle, without discrimination, a fair and free city; this city is everyone's city. This city is the city of Kurds, this city is the city of Alevis, this city is the city of Bosniaks, this city is the city of Armenians, this city is the city of Assyrians. There are 16 million free citizens of the Republic of Turkey in this city. There are 16 million people in this city who love their homeland, love their flag, and will walk in the footsteps of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and in the footsteps of the republic. What the Istanbulites want will happen. That is why we are here.

News Source: 12punto