CHP's İmamoğlu to Election Body: 'You Make a Verdict, We Begin to Work'

*Photo: Serhat Çağdaş - İstanbul / AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

The main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) winning candidate for the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality in the March 31 local elections according to the unofficial results, Ekrem İmamoğlu, has commented on the election process for the city still not being concluded.

In a press statement he held at around 11.40 a.m., İmamoğlu called the Supreme Election Council (YSK) to give a verdict, saying, "İstanbul does not have a moment to lose."

CHP İstanbul Provincial Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu announced this morning the latest results in the recount, informing that İmamoğlu is ahead of Binali Yıldırım, the candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), by 13,963 votes.

İmamoğlu will be given the certificate of election two days later, Kaftancıoğlu added.

"AKP and MHP are slowing down the process"

İmamoğlu made the following remarks in brief:

"We strongly reject the beautiful İstanbul is meaninglessly being tired out. A serious vacuum is being created by not inviting an elected mayor to duty for 12 days. And this hurts.

"In Maltepe [district], counting has been continuing for 12 days. I know that members of AKP and MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) are slowing down the process by not participating in [the process].

"There is no point in dragging on a business that would end today or tomorrow."

"You cast a shadow on the elections"

İmamoğlu also commented on the police going to homes for determining the voters' addresses in Büyükçekmece district after AKP's claims that more than 10 thousand voters were moved there before the elections.

"In the history of the Republic of Turkey, such a practice is being applied for the first time. Doors of homes are knocked. The voters are searched one by one. What is being tried to do?

"If you act in a way that would cast doubt on the elections, offend [the people] by putting a blockade on the whole district, present this practice as an example, you would already have cast doubt on Turkey's elections."

"YSK is doing a historical duty"

"I want to call out to the YSK. YSK is doing a historical duty. I strongly reject another alternative. No one has the right to make a verdict that drags people into hopelessness. YSK have to make verdicts that protect our Turkey's legitimacy and the continuation of democracy in the elections.

"We know who cast doubt [on the elections]... As the society, we lived through this period. The result is clear. YSK, you make your verdict, we begin our work." (AS/VK)