Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu announces presidential bid, calls for unity, change
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu speaking. Feb. 27, 2025, Ankara, Türkiye. (AA Photo).
Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, officially announced his candidacy for the presidency through a post on his social media account.
In his statement, Imamoglu wrote: “I embark on this journey with the ambition of first becoming a candidate and then the president. With common sense and consensus, Türkiye will rise again, and we will reclaim our unity and brotherhood as a nation.” He also shared a video message, in which he expressed the following:
‘I am not running for office, but for a tough struggle‘
“Dear members of the Republican People’s Party, dear citizens,
I embark on this journey with the ambition of first becoming a candidate and then the president. I am not running for an office, but for a tough struggle. My only concern, my only dream, is to rebuild the state structure, economy, democracy, law, education, and healthcare that this government has dismantled.
I want to transform the state into a guardian of the people’s interests and security, rather than serving a small elite. We can only achieve this together.
We can only change this broken system through a principled and virtuous solidarity, where every stage is determined by the broadest consensus.”
Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of Istanbul
‘Our party will not choose a savior’
Ekrem Imamoglu started his intra-party campaign soon after the announcement. According to a social media post that Imamoglu shared on Thursday, he will be at Izmir and Kayseryi on March 8 and at Adana and Antalya on March 9.
Imamoglu shared his thoughts on the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) primary elections, expressing optimism about the process.
The primary election that our party will hold is the first step towards common sense, consensus, and solidarity. The decision we make in this primary election will extend an honorable and strong hand of friendship to everyone who wants to change this broken system. In this election, our party will not choose a savior.
On March 23, we will declare our party’s will and turn to all republicans, democrats, and patriots of this country, saying: ‘There is no salvation alone, let’s all take responsibility together!’
The Republican People’s Party will succeed, Türkiye will win, and the people’s rights will belong to the people!
Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of Istanbul
Imamoglu’s main intra-party rival, Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavas, had previously announced that he would not run in the election.
Yavas shared his views on the matter, stating that determining the presidential candidate prematurely was not ideal, and that the method of determining a candidate should not solely rely on pre-election voting.
