He had pointed to İmamoğlu and Yavaş: Statement from Atakan Sönmez regarding Kılıçdaroğlu's 'joint candidate' remarks

Atakan Sönmez, the press advisor to Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was brought to the position of CHP Chairman by a court decision, has issued a statement regarding the "joint candidate" reports appearing in some media outlets.

In a post on his social media account, Sönmez stated that Kılıçdaroğlu's assessments regarding Mansur Yavaş and Ekrem İmamoğlu should not be presented as a current statement.

"The book 'Mutlak Butlan - Yüzleşme' (Absolute Nullity - Confrontation) written by Bülent Gürsoy was published in August 2026, and the author has stated that its preparations were made during the months of June and July. Therefore, the interview with our Chairman, Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, is also an interview conducted during that process."

In the interview, it was reported that Kılıçdaroğlu had expressed that the two names could be proposed as candidates at the alliance table, provided that Ekrem İmamoğlu is cleared in the cases he is being tried in and that Mansur Yavaş remains in the CHP.