YENİ Party leader Özgür Özel told T24 that Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is a candidate "as long as he can legally be a candidate" and that Mansur Yavaş's candidacy is also "a very important option". Özel said, "They will do everything to prevent Mayor Ekrem from being a candidate"; he stated that he was informed in advance of Yavaş's meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on September 9.
Özel recalled that İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu became the people's presidential candidate with 15.5 million votes and emphasized that withdrawal could only happen with his own decision. He added that he had prior knowledge of Yavaş's meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on September 9 and saw no problem in this regard. He argued that they have not declared anyone as anyone's substitute.
TSL
