Good (Iyi) Party Chairman Meral Akşener, who previously supported CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s presidential candidacy against incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, unveiled Izmir Deputy Ümit Özlale as the party’s mayoral candidate for the Aegean city.
“I announce my brother, Ümit Özlale, as the candidate for the Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, and I am confident he will assume this role successfully,” Akşener said speaking in the city.
Akşener had said Özlale was in contact with the people of Izmir for a while.
Özlale shared an image with Akşener and added, “With the purpose of the first day, with the faith of the first day…”
The Good Party leader announced yesterday, “We have abandoned the alliance system. We will no longer proceed with the alliance system.”
She also underscored that they would participate in the 2028 presidential elections independently.
20 Eylül 2020. Tam 3 yıl önce bugün.
İlk günkü amaçla, ilk günkü inançla… pic.twitter.com/7isB3KO0Qx
— Prof Dr. Ümit Özlale (@UmitOzlale) September 20, 2023
Izmir has historically been supportive of the main opposition CHP’s mayoral candidates.
In the 2019 mayoral elections, Meral Akşener and her Good Party supported the candidates Ekrem Imamoğlu and Mansur Yavaş of the main opposition CHP in both Istanbul and Ankara, respectively.
However, Akşener had previously stated that her party would field its own candidates, particularly in Istanbul and Ankara.
Ümit Özlale, the potential mayoral candidate for Izmir, has indicated that they would not support the CHP’s candidates, Imamoğlu in Istanbul and Yavaş in Ankara
Özlale said, “Mr. Ekrem and Mr. Mansur currently hold the positions of mayors within the CHP. It would not be contradictory if we do not endorse them in the upcoming elections.”
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