Kurum vs. İmamoğlu: Electoral strategies take shape in tough İstanbul race

Kurum took a selfie with the Trabzon People’s Association in Maltepe Monday.

İSTANBUL – After Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) secured electoral victory last May, Turkish citizens will once again go to the ballots on March 31, this time to elect representatives on the municipal, district and provincial levels. 

The stakes are high, especially in İstanbul, where the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) seeks to retain the metropolitan mayorship against AKP efforts to retake it with a symbolic victory in Turkey’s largest city – and the home turf for Erdoğan’s political career.

The AKP nominated former Environment Min. Murat Kurum to run against incumbent CHP Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu among a crowded field of candidates from six parties at the time of reporting.

The latest polls show a thin vote margin between leading candidates Kurum and İmamoğlu as the pair rev up their campaigns and set electoral strategies for the coming weeks.

İmamoğlu Campaign Director Necati Özkan told Turkey recap his staff plans to focus on the incumbent’s track record and plans moving forward.