İstanbul’s opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has blamed the government for misleading Turkish citizens about the spending of the megacity’s municipality, T24 news site reported on Tuesday.
The opposition mayor said that the city has not been mired in debt as the state officials claimed.
“They should not try to lecture me over budgets, or I would blow their minds” İmamoğlu was cited as saying by T24.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) mayor made the remarks while speaking to journalists following the inspection of a subway line under construction in the city.
“They cannot deceive this nation through a budget trick,” İmamoğlu said.
Last Sunday, İmamoğlu announced the construction of a subway line in the city.
“No one will be able to prevent the construction of the İncirli – Sefaköy – Beylikdüzü subway line, which will be used by millions of citizens. The investors and financing are ready, yet a signature is missing. Why?” the İstanbul mayor said.
Following İmamoğlu’s announcement, some pro-government circles claimed that the Transportation Ministry had not signed off on the project since the municipality had allegedly exceeded the legal borrowing limit.
In 2019, the 51-year-old mayor of Turkey’s largest city beat the candidate of Turkish President Recep Erdoğan’s governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) in mayoral elections.
He was elected in a second round of voting after the initial poll was re-run due to alleged irregularities claimed by the AKP. His administration has since suffered from a lack of funding after state-run banks controlled by Erdoğan and his party failed to provide
loans.
Ahval