Deniz Zeyrek names the candidate İmamoğlu 'feared the most'

Turkey has entered the local election atmosphere. As political parties continue to announce their mayoral candidates, Istanbul remains one of the most closely watched cities in the local elections. 

The AKP has nominated former Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum to run against IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in the local elections on March 31, 2024.

İYİ PARTY AND DEM PARTY HAVE NOT YET ANNOUNCED CANDIDATES

While the İYİ Party, which decided to enter the local elections 'freely and independently', has not yet announced its Istanbul candidate, whether the DEM Party will field a candidate remains a subject of curiosity.

Until the AKP announced Murat Kurum as its candidate, the names of Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya, Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca, and Fatih Mayor Mehmet Ergün Turan were circulating in the lobbies as potential AKP candidates.

Journalist Deniz Zeyrek made notable assessments on Sözcü TV, where the election race between Kurum and İmamoğlu was discussed.

"İMAMOĞLU IS 1 POINT AHEAD IN AKP'S POLL"

Stating that İmamoğlu is ahead in the election poll commissioned by the AKP, which assumes that the İYİ Party and DEM Party will field candidates in Istanbul, Deniz Zeyrek said, "Let me share a piece of information. In the poll conducted by the AK Party, Ekrem İmamoğlu came out 1 point ahead of Murat Kurum. I am of the opinion that this race has ceased to be a party race. This race will take place between Murat Kurum and Ekrem İmamoğlu."

Emphasizing that regionalism is very influential in local elections, Zeyrek said, "We always say, don't we, that people from Trabzon and Sivas always come to the fore in Istanbul and win the election. I am of the opinion that this situation is an advantage for Ekrem İmamoğlu. I don't think someone from Ankara could be successful in an election in Istanbul. Even someone from Erzincan couldn't do it (Binali Yıldırım)."

"THE CANDIDATE IMAMOĞLU FEARED THE MOST WAS MEHMET ERGÜN TURAN"

Zeyrek subsequently revealed the candidate that IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was most concerned about with the following words;

"I am revealing the candidate that Ekrem İmamoğlu feared the most right here. It was Fatih Mayor Mehmet Ergün Turan... If he had come, İmamoğlu could have struggled, and he might have even panicked himself."