The issue of presidential candidacy is not on my agenda, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu said Wednesday, as heated discussions on who will be the main opposition alliance's candidate against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the next year's presidential elections continue.
Holding a press conference in a hotel in his hometown Trabzon, Imamoğlu said that he made a series of visits to the Black Sea provinces of Rize, Artvin and Trabzon due to Ramadan Bayram, also known as Eid al-Fitr.
When asked about his opinion on the presidential candidacy, Imamoğlu said the issue is not on his agenda right now.
While Turkey is expected to hold presidential elections in 2023, Erdoğan seems like the favorite name to be the joint candidate of the ruling bloc People's Alliance led by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and supported by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
On the other hand, there are many speculations revolving around the possible candidates for the main opposition bloc Nation Alliance led by the Republican People's Party (CHP). CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, CHP's Istanbul Mayor Imamoğlu and CHP's Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş are prominent names in the discussions.
Imamoğlu also rejected claims about his intention to race against Kılıçdaroğlu for the CHP leadership.
"Of course, I am a person who shares a lot with my chairperson. But we never have such a relationship, we can't. Because it does not comply with the democratic principles of the Republican People's Party. But let me underline that we, as patriotic administrators who show sensitivity in doing their duty and know what to talk about in this sensitive period of Turkey, act with the utmost care," he said.
