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The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate for the June 23 İstanbul election rerun, Ekrem İmamoğlu, has announced his election promises in a meeting entitled "Solutions That Will Make Life Easier in İstanbul."
İmamoğlu won the March 31 elections in İstanbul in a close race with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate Binali Yıldırım but had to leave office after the Supreme Election Council (YSK) canceled the elections on the ground of "irregularities regarding election council chairs."
Here are highlights from İmamoğlu's promises to İstanbulites:
- Public transportation will be free for children under the age of 12. Women with their children between the ages of 0 and 4 will also use public transportation for free.
- Women who have children aged between 0 and 4 will use the social facilities of the municipality with a 40 percent discount.
- The City Food Council will be founded to "make the poor reach healthy food."
- Women will be "empowered economically."
- The İstanbul Child Fund will be established.
- The youth will use public transport and social facilities with a 40 percent discount with the "Young Card."
- Scholarships will be given to young people. A total of 75 thousand college students will receive a monthly scholarship of 400 liras (~70 US dollars)
- The young people will be provided the opportunity to learn different languages for cheap prices.
- Regional employment offices will be founded, the unemployment rate will be reduced to single-digit numbers. (AS/VK)
