First message from İmamoğlu after presidential candidacy is confirmed: 'Long, difficult, full of obstacles'

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained on the morning of March 19 on charges of 'corruption' and 'terrorism'.

Referred to court on March 23, İmamoğlu was arrested on charges of 'corruption'. Following İmamoğlu's arrest, protest demonstrations began in front of the İBB building in Saraçhane.

Before İmamoğlu was arrested, the primary election ballot boxes that the CHP planned to set up to determine its presidential candidate were established despite the arrest decision.

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel called on all citizens, along with CHP members, to participate in the primary election. In addition to the votes of CHP members, a solidarity ballot box was also set up for the primary. Citizens formed long queues to cast their votes for İmamoğlu's presidential candidacy.

İMAMOĞLU'S CANDIDACY BECOMES OFFICIAL

A total of 15 million 497 thousand 957 votes for Ekrem İmamoğlu were cast in these ballot boxes. Today, the CHP Party Assembly (PM) met and confirmed İmamoğlu's presidential candidacy, making it official. The first post from İmamoğlu, who is now the official presidential candidate of the CHP as of today, was not delayed.

'A LONG, DIFFICULT JOURNEY FULL OF OBSTACLES'

İmamoğlu used the following expressions in his post:

"My presidential candidacy has been made official by the unanimous vote of our Party Assembly and our TBMM Group. I would like to express my gratitude to my Chairman Mr. Özgür Özel, who supported this process with great devotion, to the authorized bodies of my party, to our parliamentary group, to our party members who participated in the primary, and to our 15.5 million citizens. From now on, we will be on a long, difficult journey full of obstacles. At the end of this journey, there is democracy, there is law, there is justice, there is prosperity. Most importantly, there is a bright Turkey."

News Source: 12punto