Turkish ruling party names former minister as Istanbul mayoral candidate

President Erdogan said the candidates are selected through comprehensive consultations, research, and evaluations.

"Our experience in municipal governance is not new; we have a proud history of 30 years, filled with accumulated knowledge and expertise," he said.

Emphasising that they introduced a new philosophy and practice of municipal governance in the country since the elections on November 3, 2002, just 15 months after their party's establishment, the Turkish president stated that the AK Party proved its competence to the people first in local governments.

"Inspired by the successes we achieved in local administrations, we aspired to govern the country. Just as we reversed the ill fortunes of our cities, we took action to complete the deficiencies in Türkiye's development and democracy," he said.

Erdogan reiterated that their target for the Century of Türkiye will be incomplete "without crowning the achievements and services in central administration with successes in municipalities."

"None of our people are obliged to vote for the incompetent," he said.

"With this understanding, we present ourselves to our people with mayoral candidates who think not of themselves but their cities, produce projects, pursue solutions rather than excuses, make life easier for the public rather than their personal goals, act with humility rather than arrogance, and dedicate themselves to serving their city instead of their individual goals."

President Erdogan announced that on Monday, January 15, they will host a grand ceremony to present additional candidates and unveil their election manifestos.