İmamoğlu's March 31 response to Erdoğan: 'He won't be able to leave the Külliye for 2 weeks'

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu made statements at a public meeting in Güngören.

"10 THOUSAND LIRA MARKET SUPPORT"

Stating that they have raised social assistance to the highest level, İmamoğlu said, "We provided scholarships to 100 thousand students in Istanbul. We have announced that the scholarship we will provide next year will be 15 thousand liras. If a household has only one pension income, we will provide 10 thousand liras of market support per year."

URBAN TRANSFORMATION MESSAGE

Mentioning that they attach great importance to urban transformation, İmamoğlu said, "We are determined regarding urban transformation. We have never engaged in vote-hunting on this issue. We have offered and will continue to offer fixed-payment support for all risky structures. As the municipality, we will cover 60 percent of the construction costs for 50 thousand risky residences belonging to low-income citizens. If those 50 thousand risky residences belong to retirees and they are low-income, we will cover 60 percent of that as well."

İmamoğlu continued as follows:

"We identify the real need and speak based on the real need. We neither deceive nor are we deceived. Our difference from those who deceive regarding urban transformation, as in Tozkoparan, is that we do it fairly and on time. Remember what they said; they said, 'The people of Tozkoparan are very happy.' We looked at those who spoke; a young person gave a statement to the media saying, 'I founded the AK Party Youth Branch here. They deceived me too, I regret it.' We will neither be the deceiver nor the deceived."

RESPONDED TO MURAT KURUM

Taking a jab at the AKP's Istanbul candidate Murat Kurum, İmamoğlu said, "We have been experiencing an interesting election process in Istanbul for a while. Part of it surprises us, part of it doesn't. He said he would stay 'away from polemics.' I call him the novice candidate, excuse me. The novice candidate doesn't fail to leave a smile on our faces, even if it's a bitter one sometimes. I was also happy that we would talk about projects. The novice candidate cut my joy short, he ran out of steam a bit. He came to the agenda with his polemics. The project went, the polemic came. He tried to attack me through polemics with words that have been repeated 40 times and tried to be stuck to me for 5 years."

Touching on the invitation controversy, İmamoğlu said: "There is an invitation in the middle. Invitation here, invitation there. Oh, you weren't invited, actually a note was sent. There is an invitation in the middle, it turned into a fireball. Whoever touches it gets burned. Who invited? There is no one inviting. This Istanbul candidacy is a few sizes too big for this novice candidate. He shows a skill in promising things he cannot do, that's another matter, but he told the truth on two issues. One was, 'Ekrem İmamoğlu completed 87 percent of his projects,' he said. And he also said, 'Istanbul rushed during the earthquake, it reached the earthquake zone,' he said."

ERDOĞAN MARCH 31 RESPONSE: "HE WON'T LEAVE FOR 2 WEEKS"

Responding to President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks about him, "How did this person accidentally take office in 2019," İmamoğlu said, "When he wins the election, it's the national will; when I win the election, for some reason, it suddenly becomes a mistake. Erdoğan's understanding of democracy is exactly this. If he wins, it's democracy and the national will; if someone else wins, it's a mistake. He didn't appear for 3 days in 2019. After March 31, he won't leave the Külliye for 2 weeks."

Using the phrase, "On the evening of May 6, 2019, an unnamed coup was carried out against Istanbul," İmamoğlu said:

"They canceled the election in Istanbul. They said there were 700 terrorists in the ballot boxes. In the end, what happened? No one was punished. They canceled the election just because someone else won. They said, 'They stole votes,' the case is over and there is no one who stole votes. That gentleman who gives us lectures on democracy said, 'Did you think you would win the Istanbul election with 13 thousand votes?' He said, 'The expression "they stole" is not a legal expression, it is a political expression.' On May 6, 2019, they happily carried out a coup against the national will. What happened? The nation protected democracy on June 23 by winning with a margin of 803 thousand votes."

ISTANBUL CHOSE US

Criticizing Erdoğan's remarks regarding the central government and local government working together for services, İmamoğlu said, "Do you know why he is threatening? He is afraid of you. The thing he fears most is the nation. Oh our nation, realize your power. Istanbul chose us in 2019. Istanbul brought him to his knees in 2019. You rascal, you, so this is what you understand from this."

News Source: 12punto