Istanbul Mayoral Frontrunner Imamoglu Ready To Cooperate With Erdogan

ASTANA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd June, 2019) Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition candidate set to become Istanbul mayor, said Sunday he was ready to work together with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"I'm addressing Mr. Tayyip Erdogan: the local administration needs to cooperate with the center to resolve problems in Istanbul. I am ready to work together.

politics should never be put before citizens' need for peace, calm, health care and jobs," he said.

Imamoglu is leading the race against ruling AK Party's candidate Binali Yildirim with 54 percent of the vote, versus his rival's 45.1 percent, after 99 percent of ballots have been counted. A rerun was ordered after the AK Party claimed the vote in March was fraught with irregularities. Imamoglu won the election by a slim margin.