CHP Bakırköy Mayor announces mayoral candidacy in Istanbul against İmamoğlu

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Istanbul’s Bakırköy district Mayor Bülent Kerimoğlu has announced his nomination to be a mayoral candidate for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) from his main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

The move came despite CHP leader Özgür Özel previously announced that they would renominate Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu without any preselection within the party.

Speaking during a meeting with party members, Kerimoğlu heavily criticized İmamoğlu’s policies, Demirören News Agency reported on Dec. 3.

Kerimoğlu said his application against İmamoğlu was criticized and added, “While even the simplest member has the right to be a candidate for the leadership of the Republican People's Party, why did applying for the Istanbul mayorship cause heavy criticism and social media lynching?” 

“What is the sanctity of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, what is this one-man rule, what is this attitude against the candidacy of anyone other than himself,” he said.

Kerimoğlu said he demanded preselection based on the party internal regulations.

Moreover, he argued İmamoğlu employed poor people and workers from the CHP for basic jobs as they “were sent to work as car park guards in the heat of the summer, or sent to collect garbage.” Instead “they employed the AKP, MHP and İYİ Party members as general secretaries, department heads, managers, and senior bureaucrats,” Kerimoğlu argued, adding that that’s why “they will avoid the preselection.”

He also criticized CHP leader Özgür Özel’s attempts to “collaborate” with the opposition İYİ (Good) Party in some provinces for the local elections. “We, as the CHP, will now win elections in Istanbul without any alliance. We no longer have to give tenders, give department heads, or give bureaucratic staff to some members of certain parties just because the CHP won the election. If we are going to make an alliance, we will make it with the people.”

“From now on, we will never again make an alliance with those who put pressure on the Republican People's Party, blackmail us, threaten us,” he added.

Kerimoğlu is among the “status-quoist” faction of the CHP. This faction blew a huge deal as “revisionist” Özgür Özel beat previous leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in the party congress that was held in November.

Özel previously said they would renominate the mayors in Istanbul, Ankara and Aydın without preselection within the party as they were seen as successful.

Turkey will hold local elections on March 31, 2024.