CHP’s Imamoglu vows to end ‘system of extravagance’ in Istanbul
The main opposition Istanbul mayoral candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, has kicked off his campaign for the June 23 rerun elections in the city, pledging to win again after the first vote was ruled invalid.
Addressing a packed out conference room in the Hilton hotel on Wednesday, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate called for his supporters to “join in the struggle for democracy.”
“With hope and love we will win again in the elections,” Imamoglu told a cheering crowd of supporters.
Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and commercial hub, is preparing for a rerun of the mayoral vote first held on March 31.
While Imamoglu won the contest by a slim margin, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development (AK) Party demanded a recount, alleging irregularities.
Turkey’s High Election Board (YSK) annulled the vote in early May, scheduling a new election for June 23.
The AK Party also lost mayoral votes in the capital Ankara and Izmir, the country’s third-largest city.
Source: Aljazeera