CHP's İmamoğlu, Yavaş to officially run again in municipal elections

Main opposition CHP on Dec. 14 declared that Ekrem İmamoğlu of Istanbul and Mansur Yavaş of Ankara would rerun in the March 2024 local elections. The party council approved over 200 candidates across Turkey.

Friday December 15 2023 03:06 pm

Duvar English

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) ratified the mayoral candidacies of Ekrem İmamoğlu for Istanbul and Mansur Yavaş for Ankara for the upcoming local elections. The mayors will run for a second term in office.

The party council on Dec. 14 unanimously ratified the candidacy of 226 names. It will continue to ratify candidates weekly in groups of 200.

The list also includes familiar figures such as xenophobic mayor Tanju Özcan, who is seeking reelection in the Bolu province after after his expulsion from the party was cancelled.

Additionally, former district mayor Mustafa Bozbey is running for the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality and former CHP deputy Ahmet Akın is running for the Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality, currently held by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

An Istanbul court on Dec. 14 sentenced Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu to 2 years and 7 months in prison, along with a political ban for the alleged charge of "insulting" the members of the Supreme Election Council (YSK). If the appeals court confirm this verdict, his candidacy can be jeopardized.

The local elections will be held on March 2024.