Mayor gave sleepless nights to Turkish President… How Ekrem Imamoglu, who did wonders in Istanbul, became a challenge for Erdogan

The main opposition party in Türkiye, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has won a major victory in local elections. With these elections, a new leader is also emerging in the country, whose popularity is attracting the attention of the world. This leader is Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Ekrem, elected for the second term, has now emerged as the main challenge to Erdogan. This has dealt a huge political blow to Turkish strongman President Erdogan. A defeat in Istanbul will be especially difficult for Erdogan because this is his birthplace and it is from here that he started his political career in the 70s. He too had been the Mayor of Istanbul in the beginning of politics and then became the Prime Minister of the country and now the President.

Imamoglu, who created trouble for Erdogan, was born in Trabzon in 1970. After studying at Istanbul University, he turned to the family’s construction business. After success in business, he turned to politics. Imamoglu joined the CHP party in 2008 and became mayor of Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü district in 2014. In 2019, he won the election in Istanbul by defeating the presidential Justice and Development Party candidate. After a complaint by Erdogan’s party, the court annulled the results and re-elections were held. Imamoglu gave a huge blow to Erdogan by winning that election by a huge margin. Despite all the efforts of Erdogan, Imamoglu has won the current election. After this victory, experts say that he can challenge Erdogan’s power.

Thousands gathered in support of Imamoglu
According to the TIO report, many experts believe that Ekrem Imamoglu’s re-election as mayor indicates his potential for national leadership. The rise of the Istanbul mayor marks a breakthrough for the CHP. Imamoglu’s election campaign was marked by promises to revive democracy and justice in Turkey and the victory has made Imamoglu a key figure in Turkish politics. This raises his hopes from being a businessman to a possible future president.

Imamoglu is also a staunch critic of Erdogan at the ideological level. The victory in Türkiye’s largest city shows his reach to the people. Istanbul is believed to set a new political direction for the country. The opposition in Istanbul fiercely attacked the economic policies of the ruling party and succeeded in convincing the voters. If this trend continues, Erdogan may face a big blow in the future.