Mayor İmamoğlu criticizes ministers campaigning for local elections
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, from the CHP, has criticized ministers for campaigning on behalf of the AKP for the local election in the megacity. İmamoğlu said 17 ministers “realized” that the AKP’s candidate Murat Kurum “was not good enough, and they came to Istanbul” to campaign for him.
Duvar English
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), on March 26 criticized ministers over campaigning for his rival Murat Kurum, from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
“A minister of the state does not do that. But if they are the ministers of a party, that is different. Then you cannot be the minister of the state. The Minister of Interior is the one who will ensure election security on Sunday. The Minister of Justice is the one who will ensure justice, who will ensure law. Look at what they are doing over Ekrem İmamoğlu. They have no shame,” İmamoğlu said at an election rally in Üsküdar district.
İmamoğlu is running again for the office. Turkey will hold local elections on March 31.
İmamoğlu said 17 ministers “realized” that the AKP’s candidate Murat Kurum “was not good enough, and they came to Istanbul” to campaign for him.
“If they didn't think so, why would they come here from Ankara? It wasn't enough. Plus the President came too. They all came together. They are welcome. Are we going to offer them hospitality? Let's do it, like on June 23, 2019,” he said, referring to the repeat election held for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, in which İmamoğlu won by more than 800,000 votes.
“It is an honorable position to be a minister of the state. Who is in it? There is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Justice... They visit grocery stores, and markets, asking for votes. They are holding meetings. From here, I am addressing the Minister of Interior: Go back to Ankara. Don't you have any job to do?,” İmamoğlu added.
Several ministers from the AKP have abused their ministerial powers for election propaganda previously too. Former Environment Minister and Istanbul mayoral candidate Murat Kurum even boasted about using his ministry for election propaganda in 2023 and said that “using his ministerial authority” was his utmost right.