İstanbul Mayor-Elect İmamoğlu: We Will Build Democracy, Justice in This City

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According to unofficial results of the repeat İstanbul Metropolitan Mayoral elections, Nation Alliance's candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has been elected the Metropolitan Mayor of İstanbul again.

After making a statement for the press regarding the early election results, İmamoğlu went to his hometown Beylikdüzü, where he was the district mayor in the previous term, and addressed the citizens there.

"I told you love would win, lucky me that love has won," İmamoğlu started his remarks and continued as follows: "I love the people of my country regardless of who they are. Break down all prejudices, break down them all. Break down all prejudices on you mind. The lives, shapes, clothes of people do not concern us. We have come to embrace everyone."

During his speech in Beylikdüzü, Ekrem İmamoğlu was accompanied by CHP İstanbul Provincial Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu, İYİ Party İstanbul Provincial Chair Buğra Kavuncu and some mayors.

According to unofficial results, İmamoğlu has been elected the Metropolitan Mayor of İstanbul again by receiving 4 million 741 thousand 868 votes, accounting for 54.21 percent of all votes.

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'There is no such thing as minority in this city'

Some highlights from İmamoğlu's Beylikdüzü speech are as follows:

"We have come here to embrace everyone who respects the beliefs of everyone, who prefers reason and science for the development of this country and city; we have come here to embrace everyone without differentiating whether they are Alevis or Sunnis.

"There is no such thing as minority in this city. We will embrace the Greeks, Armenians, Syriacs, Jews; we will embrace everyone.

"We will build democracy and justice in this city. I promise you: We will build future in this beautiful city.

'I am a project of the Republic'

"We will raise such generations that they will know their spirituality, lay claim to their spirituality and national values, support the indivisible unity of the state everywhere, but will also say, 'Completely independent Turkey'; we will raise generations, whose thoughts are free and consciences are free. I promise you: We will neither deceive, nor will we be deceived.

"Yes, I am a project, I am a project of the Republic, I am a project of the Republic of Turkey, the Republic of Atatürk.

'It is a grandiose evening'

"You have given the best answer to the May 6 [when İstanbul elections were annulled], you have given the best answer to this handful of people. This evening is a great evening. This evening is a grandiose evening. We will work hard to be worthy of you.

"While I am running about in politics, my family will solely support me. Politics is a field of service, a field of duty. We will serve.

"I thank the İstanbul alliance, which comprises everyone. There are my fellow friends and volunteers among them. There are my friends from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), from the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Felicity Party..."

'We will set to work right away tomorrow'

Concluding his remarks, İmamoğlu said, "Sovereignty rests unconditionally with the nation. We will never forget that. We will set to work right away tomorrow. We will work very hard for İstanbul. I promise you all." (TP/SD)