Ankara Mayor Yavaş says will consider presidential candidacy ‘if there is demand’

Speaking at a press conference, Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş has not ruled out the possibility of being a presidential candidate and said he would consider it “if there is a demand” in the public.

Duvar English

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has not ruled out his possibility of being a presidential candidate. 

Speaking to the reporters during the opening ceremony of a sports complex in the capital Ankara, Yavaş reiterated that it was “too early” to talk about presidential candidacy as the elections are scheduled for 2028 in case of no early election.

“I no longer have the right to run or not run on my own. Whatever the society decides when the day comes, if there is a demand, we will evaluate it. However, while saying this, you will never find me in a situation like there is a division in the party, a difference of opinion,” he added.

Yavaş’s CHP will hold a primary next month to name its presidential candidate, pressuring the government to hold an early election. 

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is the only candidate who will run in the CHP primary and is expected to be declared as the CHP's presidential candidate.

However, İmamoğlu might receive a political ban as he is facing several legal investigations and lawsuits at the moment, which would bar him from running for any political office.

Yavaş did not apply to run in the primary, arguing it was too early to talk about the elections.

After their succesful first terms, İmamoğlu received around 51 percent of the votes in Istanbul with a 12-point difference with AKP’s candidate in the 2024 local elections, whereas Yavaş received around 60 percent of the votes in Ankara with a 29-point difference with AKP’s candidate. 

Yavaş and İmamoğlu are regarded as the opposition's likely candidates who can defeat President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

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Topics CHP presidential election Mansur Yavaş Ekrem İmamoğlu