The Guardian analyzed the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) elections, which will take place on Sunday, with 4 days remaining until the polls.
The analysis included the following remarks regarding the incumbent İBB Mayor and CHP candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu: "Although he has become the face of Turkey's besieged opposition, the enthusiasm and hope for change that brought him to office..."
"THE MOOD AMONG THE VOTER BASE IS PESSIMISTIC"
The following observations were made regarding İmamoğlu in the analysis:
"Although İmamoğlu has become the face of Turkey's besieged opposition, the enthusiasm and hope for change that brought him to office have dissipated, especially after the defeat in last year's elections of the six-party anti-Erdoğan coalition that had come together to oppose the president, and the mood among the voter base is pessimistic. Unlike in 2019, the Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor is entering the election without the support of the nationalist İYİ Party and is having to run his campaign alone."
"MARKED AS ERDOĞAN'S POLITICAL ENEMY"
Regarding İmamoğlu, it was stated that "He spent most of his first term fighting his opponents in local government and in Ankara," while also emphasizing the sentence he received in the political ban case.
The analysis noted that İmamoğlu's electoral success in 2019 was a turning point for the Turkish opposition, stating that "He marked himself as a political enemy of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and gave new hope to those who want to challenge his rule."
News Source: 12punto
