Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş breaks silence on defections to AKP: 'If voters wanted another party, they would have chosen it'

ABB Mayor Yavaş inspected the ongoing work at the Mamak metro construction site. Mayor Yavaş first visited the Rail Systems Branch Directorate of the municipality's Department of Survey and Projects, and subsequently conducted inspections at two metro construction sites.

Mamak Mayor Veli Gündüz Şahin accompanied Yavaş during his inspections.

At the Rail Systems Branch Directorate of the Department of Survey and Projects, project officials provided Mayor Yavaş and Şahin with information regarding the current status of the project.

Following a presentation via slides, the project schedule was reviewed during the meeting. It was stated that the actual construction of the 5 stations began on July 16, 2025, and the project is expected to be completed on January 14, 2029. After the meeting, Yavaş answered questions from journalists at the construction site.

Regarding the project's completion date, Yavaş said, "We hope to move it up to before the election."

Stating that the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure collects the costs of the metros it builds from the ABB, Yavaş said, "The question of who built the metro is a bit complicated. Because we have paid off the entire debt of the metros built before us within six years."

HE SPOKE ABOUT THE DEFECTIONS FROM CHP TO AKP

Yavaş noted that they had the opportunity to make many improvements as a result of traffic closures for the NATO Summit preparations, adding that hosting the NATO summit here was also positive for the promotion of Ankara.

Mansur Yavaş evaluated the mayors who resigned from the CHP to join the AKP by saying, "If these voters had wanted to elect a mayor from another party, they would have done so. I chose my team members to be by my side. Their departure is their own choice. They will answer to their own voters. We have no loss in this sense."