İYİ Party's Istanbul Mayoral Candidate Buğra Kavuncu Responds to İmamoğlu Question! 'We Formed an Alliance in 2019...'

The İYİ Party's Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayoral Candidate Buğra Kavuncu, who has decided to enter the local elections 'free and independent', has begun his election campaign.

Kavuncu, along with İYİ Party Provincial Chair Yücel Coşkun and İYİ Party Fatih Mayoral Candidate Barbaros Hayrettin Mahiroğulları, visited tradespeople and met with citizens in the historic peninsula.

Speaking to members of the press after visiting the Booksellers' Bazaar, the Grand Bazaar, and Sultanahmet, Kavuncu explained that they have launched their election campaign as of today, and that they will share their approaches and solution proposals regarding Istanbul's problems with the public and voters at a launch program they will organize on February 3 or 4.

Stating that they learned from tradespeople that there is an electricity problem in the region due to a dispute between the municipality and the electricity distribution company, as well as a lack of parking, Kavuncu noted that they will listen to citizens in the field and produce solutions to these problems.

RESPONSE TO THE İMAMOĞLU QUESTION

When asked by a journalist about his candidacy against İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, with whom they formed an alliance in the 2019 elections, and his view on the reactions and criticisms in the public eye, Kavuncu said:

"Candidacy against Ekrem İmamoğlu is not the right phrase. After all, there are other candidates as well. It is also a candidacy against Murat Kurum and candidates from other political parties. This is a political competition. We formed an alliance in 2019. Mr. İmamoğlu was the candidate of the Nation Alliance. We have no anger, no reaction, and no hostility toward anyone. We claim that we will manage Istanbul much better. Putting forward this claim is our most natural right. From time to time, of course, citizens express their own opinions; such as 'if you run, so-and-so will be elected, if you run, such-and-such will be elected'... We, of course, respect all of these. We have no thought or intention to undermine anyone's candidacy or to help anyone win."

Expressing that the İYİ Party wanted to present a 3rd way, a new alternative to the nation on the day it was founded, Kavuncu said, "However, the Presidential system forced our party into alliances, and while doing so, we acted by thinking about the future and the interests of the country. We did not get the result we desired, and we said again, it seems we cannot get the result we desire with these alliances."

Stating that they have embarked on a struggle to present a new alternative to the nation as free and independent, just as they set out at their founding, Kavuncu noted the following:

"I am calling out from here once again; This country and this nation see how honest, how upright, and how firm those who accuse us of being partisans can be. We are not a party that is a partisan of anyone, nor are we obligated to keep anyone's political life afloat. We are not a complement to any party either. We have no government resources, we have no municipalities, but despite that, this nation has held us in high esteem for 6 years. We received the votes of 5.5 million of our citizens. The nation said, 'Turkey needs you.' We will carry this authority and this responsibility given by our noble nation to the end."