Primary election move from CHP: Call to İmamoğlu from 21 Mayors

21 CHP provincial mayors have issued an open call to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, requesting that he participate in the primary election where the party will determine its presidential candidate. The mayors invited İmamoğlu to "take on the duty on behalf of the nation."

CHP provincial mayors met between February 13-15, hosted by Edirne Mayor Filiz Gencan Akın. In the final declaration published after the meeting, reference was made to the tripartite summit held between CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, İmamoğlu, and Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş.

In the statement, thanks were also extended to Mansur Yavaş, who announced that he would not participate in the primary election, with the following words: "We appreciate Mr. Mansur Yavaş's commitment to unity and solidarity by expressing his respect for the will of our members."

In the joint statement made by the 21 provincial mayors, an open call was made to İBB Mayor İmamoğlu, and he was invited to be a candidate in the primary election with the following expressions:

'WE INVITE İMAMOĞLU TO TAKE ON THE DUTY'

"At this stage, we invite Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu—who has proven multiple times that the opposition can change the government at the ballot box by winning elections 4 times against the political power in Istanbul, who has grown his place in the hearts of our nation with the services he has provided throughout his term, who has established strong ties with every segment of society, and who is sought to be kept out of the race through judicial pressure when he cannot be defeated at the ballot box—to take on the duty on behalf of the nation, and we call on him to be a candidate in the primary election."