AKP reveals mayoral candidates for Istanbul districts

ISTANBUL

President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has unveiled his ruling party's list of mayoral candidates for Istanbul's districts in the upcoming local elections scheduled for March 31.

The announcement came during a meeting at the Haliç Congress Center on Jan. 20, where the candidates representing the AKP-led People's Alliance were introduced.

Out of the megacity's 39 districts, the AKP currently governs 24, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) oversees 14 and Silivri is under the control of the ruling alliance partner Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

The alliance's strategy involves MHP candidates contesting in Silivri and Beşiktaş, while the remaining 37 districts will have AKP candidates.

"This beautiful city has lost a quarter-century of altitude in a short period of five years," Erdoğan expressed concerns about the city's alleged neglect. "In the next period, Istanbul's five-year interregnum will conclude, and a period of revival will begin again," Erdoğan affirmed.

Several changes were made in the selection of candidates. In the Arnavutköy, Bayrampaşa and Sultanbeyli districts, the current mayors were not nominated for reelection. Instead, Mustafa Candaroğlu and Ali Tombaş, the party's district heads for Arnavutköy and Sultanbeyli, respectively, along with Bayrampaşa's İlknur Kovaç, a member of the AKP in Istanbul city council, have been put forward for the mayoral race.

Renomination of notable figures was also announced, with Haydar Ali Yıldız in Beyoğlu, Mesut Üner in Çatalca, Tevfik Göksu in Esenler, Mehmet Ergün Turan in Fatih, Şadi Yazıcı in Tuzla and Hilmi Türkmen in Üsküdar making a return.

Notable names nominated in areas currently under the control of the opposition include Sina Şen in Adalar, Abdullah Küçükoğlu in Avcılar, Veli Arslan in Kadıköy, Kadem Ekşi in Maltepe, Hüseyin Coşkun in Sarıyer and Gökhan Yüksel in Şişli.

The announcement follows Erdoğan's previous revelation of former minister Murat Kurum as the AKP's candidate for the Istanbul Municipality on Jan. 7.

With the incumbent mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, once again announced as the candidate for the CHP, Erdoğan has been vocal about the paramount importance of reclaiming Istanbul for the AKP. The slogan "Istanbul again" has become a central theme in his party's election campaign.

A week later, the party disclosed all its provincial mayoral candidates, with Turgut Altınok and Hamza Dağ set to represent the AKP in the capital Ankara and İzmir, respectively.