Ümit Özdağ announces: Former Ülkü Ocakları President becomes Zafer Party's Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality candidate!
Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ announced his party's candidate for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in an interview.
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As Turkey heads toward the March 31, 2024 local elections, the mayoral candidates of political parties are being revealed.
The Zafer Party, which has decided not to field candidates in only Kars and Iğdır for the local elections, has announced its Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality mayoral candidate.
Zafer Party leader Özdağ announced that they have selected Azmi Karamahmutoğlu as their candidate for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB).
Özdağ's statements are as follows:
“Our candidate for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality is Azmi Karamahmutoğlu. Mr. Azmi is the former Chairman of the Ülkü Ocakları and the last chairman appointed by Türkeş. At the same time, he is one of the partners of a company that has been handling zoning regulations for municipalities for years. With this experience, he knows local governments well. One of Istanbul's biggest problems is refugees and illegal migrants, and the other is earthquakes. In an Istanbul under the leadership of Azmi Karamahmutoğlu, we will make an environment where it is not even safe to walk in Taksim, safe even at 3 a.m., not just at 10 p.m., under Zafer Party administration.”
Mustafa Şükrüoğlu, Chief Advisor to the Chairman responsible for Propaganda and Party Training of the Zafer Party, shared Özdağ's statements on social media and used the following expressions:
“Mr. Ümit Özdağ has announced: The Zafer Party's Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality mayoral candidate is Azmi Karamahmutoğlu! May it be auspicious!”
Sn. @umitozdag açıkladı:
— Mustafa Şükrüoğlu (@m_sukruoglu) January 6, 2024
Zafer Partisi İstanbul BŞB Başkan adayımız Azmi Karamahmutoğlu!
Hayırlı, uğurlu olsun!@AzmiKaramahmut pic.twitter.com/sJvHjJOYZo
WHO IS AZMİ KARAMAHMUTOĞLU?
Azmi Karamahmutoğlu was born in 1958 in Oltu, Erzurum. After completing his primary, secondary, and high school education in Oltu, he graduated from Ankara University's Faculty of Political Sciences in 1976. Karamahmutoğlu, one of the prominent figures of the nationalist movement, served as the Chairman of the Ülkü Ocakları between 1978 and 1980.
Karamahmutoğlu, who was arrested after the September 12 coup and sent to Mamak Military Prison, returned to politics after being released in 1984. Continuing his political career in the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Karamahmutoğlu was elected as an Ankara Deputy in 1991 and 1999. He became the Deputy Chairman of the MHP in 1995.
Azmi Karamahmutoğlu's candidacy process for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality under the Zafer Party umbrella is considered one of the party's strategic moves ahead of the March 31 Local Elections. Official statements regarding the candidacy process are expected to be made in the coming days.