* Photo: Hakan Burak Altunöz / AA
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Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Metropolitan Mayor of İstanbul from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), has been on a visit in the Black Sea region in Turkey's north. Visiting Rize and Artvin on the occasion of the Sugar Feast, he is in Trabzon, his home city, today (May 4).
Meeting the press members for breakfast before his scheduled meetings in Trabzon, Ekrem İmamoğlu answered a question on his possible candidacy for Presidency ahead of the elections in 2023.
İmamoğlu said, "It is not on my agenda. Change in the upcoming elections is on my agenda. We all need this."
"The rate of society's unease or dissatisfaction with all these unfavorable conditions, from the economy to the form of government, has been around 70-75-85 percent. A lack of change is impossible in a country amid such a series of problems," İmamoğlu explained.
Underlining that "the opposition bloc is the one to motivate the change and inspire hope", İmamoğlu argued that the opposition bloc, namely the six opposition parties poised to form an alliance, "have been doing its share." The İstanbul Mayor said, "The historical unity of the table of six and a possible extension of this are a glimmer of hope for Turkey now."
Commenting further on the "opposition bloc", of which his party CHP is also a member, Ekrem İmamoğlu said that "the main target of this table is to establish a stronger democracy for re-democratization and to crown the centennial Republic with democracy."
'It is unacceptable'
İmamoğlu also talked about his role as the İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor. Defining İstanbul as "a locomotive city in all aspects", he argued that "an İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor who is indifferent or silent in the face of issues and who does not involve in them is unacceptable."
He said, "The İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor, whom 16 million people elected with a historical voting rate, has to display sensitivity to several issues in Turkey, has to lend support and take a character-wide step to reinforce the truth. That sense of responsibility is very high in me."
Speaking further about the Presidential elections, he briefly added:
"...The issue of candidacy for the Presidency is not on my agenda. What is on my agenda is change in the upcoming elections. It is at an indescribable level. We all need this change. For instance, I am the one who faces problems in the first place. If I list the problems where the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality is hindered or faced with hardships and torment, it will be more than 150. In that context, public administrators need a change in Turkey. The mayors of the country need it. I say it sincerely: Even the mayors from the [ruling] AKP need it." (HA/SD)
