The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has announced that it will launch a drive for donations to finance the election campaign of Ekrem İmamoğlu, who will run again in the İstanbul mayoral election on June 23 since he was stripped of his title after winning the March 31 local election.
In a controversial decision on Monday, the Supreme Election Board (YSK) decided to hold a new mayoral election in İstanbul.
The YSK made its 7-4 decision due to allegations of electoral fraud and irregularities after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost the race by a razor-thin margin in İstanbul.
CHP Deputy Chairman Bülent Kuşoğlu announced on Thursday that the maximum donation for İmamoğlu would be TL 20. Kuşoğlu explained that the state treasury does not provide any financial aid to political parties in elections that are held again.
The CHP’s donation campaign was reportedly inspired by the acts of some voters who transferred money to the CHP’s bank account with the comment, “Everything is going to be OK,” İmamoğlu’s new campaign slogan, after the YSK decision.