Istanbul’s opposition mayor and potential vice presidential candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, interrupted his rally in Erzurum, eastern Turkey, after he was stoned.
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Imamoglu arrived in Erzurum on Sunday for an election rally, and earlier that day he held rallies in Sivas and Çorum. On Twitter, the mayor posted a video of the buses ahead of the Erzurum rally, claiming that the mayor’s office deliberately placed them at the site to interfere with the event.
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Shortly after the start of the rally, Imamoglu, who was speaking on the roof of the bus, was pelted with stones by unidentified persons. The mayor stopped the performance and got on the bus, after which he left the site.
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Imamoglu later stated that he “saw 10-15 victims of thrown stones.” He also noted that he does not consider the attackers to be residents of Erzurum. Imamoglu said he called on the provincial governor to resign over the incident.
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Imamoglu claims to be one of the seven vice-presidents in the event of the victory of the presidential candidate from seven opposition parties, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
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Presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey are scheduled for May 14. The main opponent of the incumbent President Tayyip Erdogan – the single candidate from the “Republican Alliance” – is the single candidate from the opposition “People’s Alliance” Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Also running in the elections are Memleket party leader Muharrem Ince and Ata alliance candidate Sinan Ogan. The second round of the presidential elections, if no candidate receives 50% of the vote, is scheduled for May 28.
