Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan doesn’t sound like a politician when he speaks at the former Atatürk Airport, on the European side of Istanbul, on Sunday, March 24. After barely mentioning the name of Murat Kurum, the candidate nominated by his party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), to take back the metropolis from the opposition, he told the crowd: “I hope Istanbul finds its owners this 1er April”, the day after the municipal elections. To “yes” From the people, he replies: “This is the city to which I have dedicated my life and to which I will dedicate my last breath. »
Everything, from the very beginning and without much artifice, is told in these words of primal unflinching sincerity. Born in Istanbul, raised in its most popular neighborhood, “Tayip Bay”, as his followers called him, never really left the city that was the springboard for his glittering political career. Elected mayor in 1994, for a very significant mandate, he controlled the affairs and management of the megacity with his AKP representatives for almost twenty-five years, the time of electoral victory, until this stinging defeat in 2019 to the advantage of the opponent. Ekrem Imamoglu, is now a candidate for his own succession.
is Istanbul “Erdogan Brand Core Element”, says analyst and journalist Ambarin Zaman. A world city that goes beyond symbolic charge to the presidency, it represents nearly half of the country’s tax base and a third of its economic output. His regime is an invaluable source of patronage for political offices, significant access to public and private resources. “He can afford to lose Izmir and Ankara again, as it appears, but not Istanbul, where victory has become a must for him”Essayist Mehmet Altan underlines.
It is precisely because the outgoing mayor, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), presents himself with a real chance of retaining his seat that Recep Tayyip Erdogan has decided to enter the arena in the next direct line. A chance to play the role he always loved: that of a leader who throws himself into the fray, turns on the crowd and challenges his rival of the moment to a duel, capable of overshadowing him, “Dear Akram”As he named it for the first time, Sunday 24 March.
A candidate with “no political personality”.
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