Statement on Istanbul from DEM Party official! Will they cooperate with the CHP?

Turkey will head to the polls for local elections on March 31, 2024. Istanbul is among the cities where the local elections are most highly anticipated.

The AKP has nominated former Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum to run against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

İYİ PARTY AND DEM PARTY HAVE YET TO ANNOUNCE CANDIDATES

While the İYİ Party, which has 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.

DEM PARTY VISIT TO CHP LEADER ÖZEL

The recent visit by DEM Party Co-Chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan to CHP Chairman Özgür Özel has brought allegations of cooperation between the two parties to the agenda.

"ISTANBUL NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED A LITTLE MORE"

According to a report by Eray Görgülü from T24; a high-level DEM Party official providing information on the ongoing contacts between the two parties pointed out that the issue of Istanbul did not come up during the meeting between the leaders at the CHP Headquarters, stating, "Istanbul needs to be worked on and discussed a little more." 

Reminding of the 'urban consensus' condition previously set by the party's authorized bodies, the official also used the expression, "We advocate for urban consensus. We are in favor of a union of forces, but we are proceeding with great care and detail." 

Reminding that the interlocutor in Istanbul is Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu himself, the official said the following: 

DEM PARTY OFFICIAL'S STATEMENT ON İMAMOĞLU AND HATAY

 "Because of the necessity to consult again with the forces on our own ground, and because the interlocutor is Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu himself, the details were not entered into. The Istanbul discussion has not been carried out very far yet. Moreover, Izmir, Istanbul, Mersin, and Bursa are cities evaluated within the same framework, that is, the urban consensus framework. We are seriously discussing whether or not to field a candidate in Hatay. Our search for candidates in cities like Ankara, Bolu, and Antalya has reached a certain level; it will be shared with the public once it matures."