Ayşegül Doğan, the spokesperson for the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), held a press conference at the party's headquarters in Ankara on Sunday (February 4), addressing the decisions made during the Central Executive Board meeting.
Stating, "We will enter the election in Istanbul with our own candidates," Doğan shared information that the candidates will be finalized by February 9.
In the previous 2019 local elections, the predecessor of the DEM Party, HDP, did not field mayoral candidates in İstanbul and the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality changed hands after a prolonged rule by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), shifting to the control of the main opposition.
In the press conference Doğan stated:
"Firstly, I'd like to remind you of this. On December 4, during another press conference held here, we shared a tendency that emerged from the Central Executive Board with you. What was that? We had shared our inclination to run with our own candidates throughout Turkey on December 4. We mentioned that we were prepared for this and that we would win."
"I want to start with the most anticipated place. We have decided to enter the İstanbul elections with our own candidates. This option was a powerful option that has been on the agenda of our party as the strongest option for months. We will run in the elections not in order to make any party win or lose, but to win as the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party, DEM Party."
"We have met here today to share this decision with you. Our relevant committees have started the candidate selection process. Soon, we will share with you both our İstanbul candidates and the places where we will nominate candidates in other cities, along with their names, by February 9. We say; it's DEM time for İstanbul, the time has come. It's DEM time for Turkey."
"When we say DEM time, we are talking about a time for us that emphasizes equality, freedom, justice, and peace. Therefore, without delay, we wanted to share this decision with you."
The wife of Selahattin Demirtaş, the imprisoned politician and former co-chair of the HDP, Başak Demirtaş, had announced that she could be a candidate in the İstanbul metropolitan municipality elections if assigned the task.
Responding to a question about Başak Demirtaş's candidacy, Doğan mentioned that she is also in the pool of candidates. (EMK/PE)
