Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu said to release ‘manifesto of change’ this week

Duvar English

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is preparing to release a “manifesto of change” this week, following main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s presidential election loss, according to backstage reports.

In this relevant manifesto, İmamoğlu will explain what kind of a “change” is needed and launch a process to get the opinions of the CHP voters and society, according to reporting by online news outlet Diken. The manifesto will reportedly be released on a website and its theme will be "unison and common sense.”

Although there is a strong consensus for a need of change for CHP leadership, Kılıçdaroğlu has not shown any willingness in this regard. On July 4, Kılıçdaroğlu said that his presidential loss to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan could not be named as a failure and that it would not matter if he was the CHP’s leader or not.

“There will be of course leaders of this party. At that time and today, I will stay the same. Today, it would not change anything if I was the CHP leader or not,” he said, while addressing his party’s lawmakers during a parliamentary group meeting.

On the other hand, CHP lawmaker Veli Ağbaba will reportedly join the deputies who want a change within the party, according to backstage reports. Meanwhile, CHP parliamentary group Özgür Özel is reportedly in favor of İmamoğlu taking the party’s leadership and the two politicians might take joint decisions in case of a consensus.