Arrested Istanbul Mayor: Opposition is Responsible for Turkey’s Future
Ekrem İmamoğlu, the arrested Mayor of Istanbul and former presidential candidate, called for consensus and common ground among opposition parties in a message from Silivri Prison.
İmamoğlu, who is being held pending trial on various charges, stated in a statement published on the official “Presidential Candidates Office” account on the social network X, pointing to what he called the “collapse of the governing system,” and called for the opposition to unite in thought to find a way out of the current situation.
Stating that “due to the collapse caused by the presidential system of government and inefficient economic management, Turkey is losing in every area,” he added, “In this system, where all powers are concentrated in one person, distrust in the judiciary has exceeded 80 percent, and injustice threatens the foundations of the state.”
Citing opinion polls, the Mayor of Istanbul stated that the popularity of the ruling party has dropped to 20 percent and about 70 percent of citizens are pessimistic about the future. He warned, “The profound failure in the education system and despair about the future pose an existential threat to the country’s young generation.”
In another part of his message, emphasizing the “historical responsibility” of opposition parties, İmamoğlu said, “To ensure social unity, protect the Republic, strengthen democracy and the rule of law, we now need common sense and collective consensus more than ever.”
He called on all political movements to strive for holding “fair, equal, and secure” elections and, by cooperating with each other, to pave the way for the full manifestation of the nation’s will at the ballot box.
