Response from Ekrem İmamoğlu's advisor Murat Ongun to Fahrettin Altun: He reminded him of the local election results

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's advisor Murat Ongun responded to the statements made by Communications Director Fahrettin Altun.

In a post on his X account, Ongun said, "In this country, virtuous, patriotic administrators only line up to serve before the Great Turkish Nation. In the 2024 local elections, the nation gave the necessary response to its interlocutors in a very powerful way, and sent all the cabinet members who 'lined up like a row' in Istanbul back to Ankara."

Stating that "IMM and UMP President Ekrem İmamoğlu is an elected politician who has won elections against the ruling party 4 times by a wide margin and has won the hearts of millions of our citizens," Ongun noted the following:

"Politicians can make criticisms directed at people who, like themselves, have come to office through elections. No one is exempt from this. Their political interlocutors can respond to these criticisms in whatever tone they wish. While public officials can respond to politicians, the officials they appoint must show minimum courtesy when responding to politicians. For us, putting those who do not show this courtesy in their place is as valuable as 'dressing an orphan in a kaftan.' We expect the person or persons who used expressions exceeding their limits towards Mr. İmamoğlu to act within the framework of the gravity of the office they hold and the maturity of those offices, and we hope that disrespectful expressions will not be repeated."

Bu ülkede erdemli, vatansever yöneticiler sadece Yüce Türk Milleti'nin önünde hizmet için dizilir. 2024 yerel seçimlerinde millet muhataplarına gerekli cevabı çok güçlü bir şekilde vermiş, İstanbul'da "ip gibi dizilen" bütün kabine üyelerini de Ankara'ya geri göndermiştir.

İBB…

— Murat Ongun (@Mrt_Ongun) February 17, 2025

WHAT HAPPENED?

An indictment has been prepared in the expert investigation launched against IMM Mayor İmamoğlu.

In the prepared indictment, a prison sentence of 2 to 4 years and a political ban were requested for İmamoğlu for the crime of "Attempting to Influence a Judicial Officer, Expert Witness, or Witness."

İmamoğlu, who faces a prison sentence and a political ban, reacted to the prepared indictment, saying, "The name of the person who is making the effort to sideline me in politics is clear. Mr. President."

Later, in a post on his X account, İmamoğlu addressed AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, saying, "The signature of Mr. President is under the cases in which I am facing 25 years in prison, not anyone else's; you cannot fool anyone. I invite him bravely to the ring, to the ballot box. Let him act like a man from Kasımpaşa, and stop playing dirty tricks through the judiciary with Byzantine games. This nation loves those who are brave and upright."

Fahrettin Altun, in his response to Ekrem İmamoğlu, had said, "As a lesson you will not be able to forget, we would also like to remind you that our Nation made its choice in the 2023 elections, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom you lined up against, defeated all of you clearly at the ballot box."