Letter on 'İmamoğlu' from Erdoğan's former associate: 'He is aware that he missed that train...'
A former political associate of AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in a letter written to journalist Fatih Altaylı, claimed that Erdoğan will not impose a political ban on Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The letter states that Erdoğan has missed the window for this process and that even if a ban were imposed, the CHP would win the election even with a different candidate; it is also alleged that Erdoğan will begin to target İmamoğlu, viewing him as a rival.
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Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's risk of facing a political ban has been a subject of long-standing debate, and a letter sent to journalist Fatih Altaylı has drawn attention. The author of the letter, stating that they know AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan closely, argued that Erdoğan will not impose a political ban on İmamoğlu.
In the letter shared by Fatih Altaylı on his own website, the following statements were included: "Mr. Tayyip will never impose a ban on İmamoğlu. He is aware that he missed that train. If it were the old Tayyip Erdoğan, he would have taken this step before the March 31 elections, but he could not. Now he sees the situation too. If he imposes a ban on İmamoğlu, the CHP could find a shepherd from the Black Sea highlands and make him a candidate, and he would still win. The margin would not be less than 15 points."
The individual, who is a former political associate of Erdoğan, wrote the following to Altaylı regarding the discussions on a political ban for İmamoğlu:
"As someone who knows the gentleman very closely, as an expert, I say that Mr. Tayyip will never impose a ban on İmamoğlu. I know him very well. Rest assured, he will never impose a ban on İmamoğlu. He is aware that he missed that train.
If it were the old Tayyip Erdoğan, he would have imposed it before the March 31 elections. But he could not. Now he sees the situation too. If he imposes a ban on İmamoğlu, the CHP could find a shepherd from the Black Sea highlands and make him a candidate, and he would still win. The margin would not be less than 15 points.
If we see this, Mr. Tayyip, who still reads politics well even if not as well as before, must see it too. For this reason, he will soon start to harp on about Ekrem İmamoğlu. He sees him as a rival and cannot help himself."
In the remainder of his article, Altaylı recalled Erdoğan addressing İmamoğlu as "Ekrem and Mr. Ekrem" during a speech at his party's Istanbul Provincial Congress, and commented: "It turns out that my reader, whom I know to be well-acquainted with Erdoğan, knows things we do not. But I am still not sure. Which one will Erdoğan want? Yavaş, the candidate of a victimized CHP, or İmamoğlu, who is turning into an increasingly better politician! A choice between the devil and the deep blue sea! Furthermore, we still do not know who the AKP's candidate will be!"