What happened behind the scenes of Yavaş's support for İmamoğlu? The secret hero of the process has emerged

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu came to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan on Friday, January 31, to give his statement within the scope of two separate investigations opened against him.

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) Mayor Mansur Yavaş was also in Çağlayan to support İmamoğlu. After his statement, İmamoğlu climbed onto the party bus and addressed the citizens together with Yavaş. 

While the images of İmamoğlu and Yavaş, who stand out in the presidential candidacy race, continue to remain on the agenda, Nefes Gazetesi columnist Aytunç Erkin wrote about the behind-the-scenes of the support Yavaş gave to İmamoğlu.

Stating that one of the secret heroes of the process was CHP Ankara Provincial Chair Ümit Erkol, who conducted the diplomatic traffic, Erkin wrote that the CHP Ankara Provincial administration worked on two options after CHP Chairman Özgür Özel invited everyone to the courthouse on the day İmamoğlu was to give his statement.

Accordingly, one was to go to Istanbul, and the other was to support Ekrem İmamoğlu by making a mass press statement before or after, without overshadowing Istanbul. Writing that Özel insisted on the Istanbul option, Erkin conveyed the following views of an important CHP figure on this matter:

“Istanbul was tremendous. The two names giving a photo together created an extraordinary synergy. The party needs to see this, and this synergy must continue. This photo needs to be taken in İzmir and Ankara as well. This situation will also carry the party upward. Mansur Yavaş's move to close Silivri was also very important.”