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CHP presidential candidate İnce vows change at giant rally in opposition stronghold İzmir
CHP presidential candidate İnce vows change at giant rally in opposition stronghold İzmir
The main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) presidential candidate, Muharrem İnce, vowed to transform Turkey as he rallied hundreds of thousands of people in the western city of İzmir in one of the biggest opposition election rallies in years. Click through for the story in photos...
A sea of people packed the Gündoğdu Square all along the vast seafront area of the Aegean city of İzmir to hear İnce, in what is seen as the urban stronghold of the CHP.
“A former politician had told me that if the city squares are packed with people, it is good. If balconies are also packed, it is better. If even the rooftops are full of people who want to listen to you, then it means you will win,” İnce said, looking at his supporters at the balconies and rooftops of nearby buildings.
Announcers at the rally said 2.5 million people were present at the event but it was not possible to independently confirm attendance figures.
Describing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as “a tired, lonely man who no longer has dreams,” İnce claimed that “even he would not lose” if the CHP candidate is elected president because Turkey’s double-digit inflation would fall and Erdoğan’s retirement plan would thus improve.
İnce reaffirmed his plans for a dramatic first 100 days in power that would see Turkey’s two-year state of emergency lifted within 48 hours and the Central Bank assured of full independence.
He would press on “mercilessly with the fight against terror groups” and do away with a hugely unpopular ID card system for football supporters known as Passolig.
Critically, İnce also vowed to return a Turkish ambassador to Damascus — which would mark a reconciliation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — and ensure the 3.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey who fled the civil war go back home.
He pledged to put in place an inclusive cabinet that would include members of all of Turkey’s main parties — including Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
“We will unite Turkey. We will embrace Turkey,” he said. “Everything is ready. The team is ready,” he added, without hinting which big names from outside the CHP he might be willing to let into the cabinet.
İnce also repeated his motto, called the “3Bs,” based on the first letters of the Turkish words for each part: “We will make peace, we will grow and we will share equally.”
Here are more photos from the rally by Anadolu Agency, AFP and Doğan News Agency...
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