Mayor of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Ekrem İmamoğlu was elected as the president of the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT) with the highest number of votes in the elections held at the General Assembly.
Ekrem İmamoğlu received 515 votes, while Mayor of Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality Ahmet Metin Genç received 250 votes. Zeydan Karalar, Mayor of Adana Metropolitan Municipality, was elected as the UMT's Vice President. Ahmet Akın, Mayor of Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality, became the Second Vice President.
Ekrem İmamoğlu gave a thank-you speech after the results were announced and said, "This is a time when people expect a lot from local administrations. No matter which party they voted for, the choices of 86 million citizens have been formed. Everyone must respect each other. In particular, the 2024 local elections have sent a clear message to all political cadres. It is not possible to win elections with a policy of destroying each other. I believe that the first step we will take on this path is to accelerate the steps of cooperation among each other. We know that the establishment of cooperation and solidarity between local governments and the central government will complete this mechanism. We do not accept approaches that separate citizens according to the party they vote for and separate local governments according to their parties. Mechanisms that pave the way for citizens to participate directly in local government decisions are a must for the new era."
Stating that commissions will be set up within the UMT administration to provide better quality services and find quick solutions to problems, İmamoğlu said, "I will be the representative of understanding that seeks its right wherever there is illegality. I am someone who knows well what it means to be silent against injustice. I promise you solidarity and justice."
UMT Executive Board Elected
The new executive board members of the Union are as follows: Eskişehir Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce, Aydın Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu, Mersin Mayor Vahap Seçer, Adıyaman Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere, Edirne Mayor Filiz Gencan Akın, Zonguldak Mayor Tahsin Erdem, Artvin Mayor Bilgehan Erdem, Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan, Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgün, Selçuk Mayor Filiz Ceritoğlu Sengel, Mardin Metropolitan Mayor Ahmet Türk, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Mayor Ayşe Serra Bucak, Nevşehir Mayor Rasim Arı, Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Mayor Mehmet Kasım Gülpınar.