İstanbul mayor calls on opposition supporters not to lose hope, remember local election win

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İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu took to Twitter to address yesterday's election results and encourage the public not to lose hope following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's reelection.

In a video message, İmamoğlu emphasized the need for Turkey to quickly normalize and find urgent solutions to its "real problems."

Acknowledging the disappointment felt by millions, he specifically addressed young people and women, urging them not to succumb to despair and to continue walking with their heads held high.

İmamoğlu expressed confidence in their ability to succeed, drawing on the previous victory in the 2019 local elections, where the opposition managed to end the AKP and its predecessors' 25-year rule in İstanbul and Ankara, the capital. Turkey will hold local elections in March 2024.

"A similar disappointment occurred five years ago, but we achieved together in the local elections," he remarked.

"We will not expect different results by repeating the same actions," İmamoğlu added, expressing their determination to "win the hearts of the people."

İmamoğlu, who is also a member of Kılıçdaroğlu's Republican People's Party (CHP), was one of the seven individuals informally nominated as vice presidential candidates by him. These nominations were made due to the absence of legislative provisions regarding the vice presidency in Turkey.

Kimse endişe etmesin, her şey yeniden başlıyor. Unutmayın; "Değişmeyen tek şey değişimdir." https://t.co/r0fMFhcsuM

— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) May 29, 2023

(AÖ/VK)