Mansur Yavaş evaluates historic election margin: 'It had its response'

Mansur Yavaş, who was re-elected as the Mayor of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB), commented on the March 31 Local Elections.

Stating that he expected the historic margin, Yavaş said, "We were even hearing that it was coming out at 65 percent in some polls." 

According to the report by Cumhuriyet; here are the highlights from the interview with Mansur Yavaş:

You won the election with a historic vote; what would you like to say?

"THIS IS NOT MUNICIPALITY"

Mansur Yavaş: We tried to explain something for five years. I tried to explain to my opponents what municipal governance is. They were measuring municipal governance only by the asphalt poured, the sidewalks, or the money spent by municipalities on these. I explained that municipal governance has nothing to do with these. These works used to be done by the highways department. Or the technical affairs department already does them. A mayor is not really needed here.

I don't understand it either. For example, when I was first elected in Beypazarı, I didn't know about hot asphalt or cold asphalt. How would I know? It's not my profession. Technical teams already prepare these. They prepare the solutions, whether an intersection needs to be built, in line with the needs. They just ask me, 'We will do this, shall we go to tender?' I ask the financial services, and if it's appropriate, we proceed. This is not municipal governance.

"I HAD TOLD YOU THAT I WOULD COMPLAIN ABOUT YOU TO THE PUBLIC"

New districts with major problems have arrived; is there a need for the Metropolitan Municipality's touch?

Mansur Yavaş: There is. For instance, a plan change is needed for the Ovacık Metro, and Keçiören is rejecting it. They act as if it's my own business. However, the people of Keçiören will benefit from it. We asked the Akyurt Municipality for a place for a slaughterhouse, and they didn't give it. These will disappear. Since there will be cooperation, we will be able to resolve deficiencies more quickly. There are similar problems regarding zoning.

They obstruct things; they don't provide the necessary documents, they don't make allocations. These will disappear. I believe we can act more quickly. The attitude of the mayors was as if the Metropolitan Municipality was an enemy force; that's how they looked at it. The attitudes in the incoming letters were like that. I am making a call to the eight district mayors we lost: I will say the same thing in the municipal council.

Let's hold hands and resolve the deficiencies together. If you don't, that's up to you. I made the offer before, they didn't accept it. All those who didn't accept it are gone. I had told them, 'I will complain about you to the public' because they didn't hold my hand. That, frankly, had its response.

"IT CAME OUT AT 65 PERCENT IN SOME POLLS"

Were you expecting the 60 percent result?

Mansur Yavaş: In the polls we conducted in September-October, it came out at 61 percent. In some polls, it came out at 65 percent. I also had district polls conducted. Of course, it was difficult to convince my friends. I was coming out above 50 percent in almost all of them. We won the ones we convinced, and we lost the ones we couldn't convince. Actually, all of the ones lost could have been won.

News Source: 12punto