Osman Nuri Kabaktepe, the provincial chairman of the AKP Istanbul, criticized the rise of municipal debts that have transitioned from the AKP to the CHP. He addressed CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, stating, „Are you aware that the debts of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality alone, under the CHP, exceed 180 billion? You will be asked about this during the Istanbul municipal elections.“ Did you know that the CHP leader of the IMM, who prohibited your entry into the Istanbul municipality, has organized „credit ceremonies“? Are you consistently putting the issue of municipal debts on the agenda? Are you considering throwing in the towel? Do you know the debts of the CHP municipalities that you have been governing for years? Osman Nuri Kabaktepe, the provincial chairman of the AKP Istanbul, responded to the focus on municipal debts that have transitioned from the AKP to the CHP. Kabaktepe claimed that the IMM President Ekrem İmamoğlu „prohibited Özel from entering Istanbul“ and shared the following on his X account: „The goal of the CHP administration and municipal leaders is to create a perception that conceals the debt crisis of municipalities, especially the provincial/district municipalities of Istanbul and Izmir, which they cannot manage, and to spend the next five years with a policy of excuses rather than service.“ In our view, many CHP municipalities, including the Mayor of Konak, are the main indicators of what they desire. I invite the Chairman of the CHP, Özgür Özel, to be concerned about the municipalities they have been governing for years, which they have made incapable with debts for the city administrations of Istanbul and Izmir, calling them „our stronghold.“ „We will never have debts,“ said those municipalities that are indebted. In the case of Istanbul, the indebtedness is no longer comparable to previous periods. Just last week, the CHP’s IMM administration borrowed huge sums from the municipal council. It is reckless to denounce misconduct by municipalities in acquiring authority through debt. In this context, we ask Mr. Ozel on behalf of the public: Did you know that the debts of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, under the CHP, exceed 180 billion alone? Did you know that the CHP’s IMM President, who prohibited your entry into Istanbul during the municipal elections, has organized „credit ceremonies“? Is consistently keeping the issue of municipal debts on the agenda an attempt to „throw in the towel“? „Do you know the debts of the CHP municipalities that you have been governing for years?“ T24