‘Success of İstanbul is Success of Turkey’

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After Nation Alliance's İstanbul Metropolitan Mayoral candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu has been elected the mayor according to unofficial election results, the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) has released a statement and said, "We congratulate Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been elected the Metropolitan Mayor of İstanbul."

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Emphasizing that the country has left behind an important test of democracy, the Industry and Business Association has stated, "The success of Turkey's biggest city with its historical and cultural heritage as well as its economic and social accumulation is the success of Turkey."

"We hope that the state, private sector, civil society, academia and all other shareholders will work in harmony and unity for the administration and development priorities of İstanbul, which represents the two thirds of Turkey's economy. We think that this cooperation and harmony is very important for the development of our country.

"As it was frequently brought up to agenda in the election period, we believe that a transparent, innovative and democratic municipal administration will make highly precious contributions to the sustainable development targets of our country. The business world will also do its part in this new period."

President Erdoğan said, 'Know your place'

After the Supreme Election Council (YSK) ruled that Metropolitan Mayoral Elections in İstanbul should be repeated, the verdict of the Council was also criticized by the TÜSİAD. 

In a written statement released by the Association on its official Twitter account on May 6, it was indicated, "As we also emphasized before the results of March 31 local elections were announced, we find it worrying to return to an environment of election at a time when we have to focus on a comprehensive economic and democratic reform agenda."

Speaking in the weekly group meeting of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) one day later, President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the statement of the TÜSİAD and said, "Everyone should know their place." Addressing the TÜSİAD, Erdoğan said,

"We saw that after the verdict was announced yesterday, some groups of businessmen are making quite strange statements. Nice... If you make such a statement at a time when we are talking about normalization for the future of our country and at a place where the electoral law is being enforced, then, these behaviors of yours will not bring normalization.

"These behaviors would bring abnormalization. You are in the wrong. Everyone should know their place first." (AÖ/SD)