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WORLD NEWS Monday 17 June 2019

Istanbul mayoral candidates face off in rare debate

By ZEYNEP BILGINSOY Republican People's Party, need for green spaces in
Associated Press or CHP, narrowly won the the city of 15 million. They
ISTANBUL (AP) — The two race to govern Turkey's also pushed plans to deal
leading contenders for Is- largest city and commer- with the large number of
tanbul mayor faced off in cial hub. He called Yildrim's Syrian refugees in Istanbul
a political debate Sunday, claim "slanderous" and said as Turkey hosts more than
a week before the city he was the "elected mayor" 3.6 million Syrians.
is set to hold a repeat of who had been "cheated of Imamoglu is campaigning
the election an opposition rights." on a promise to end divi-
candidate won and Tur- Yildirim said the ruling Jus- sions and embrace all vot-
key's governing party suc- tice and Development ers while vowing to put an
cessfully challenged. Party, or AKP, did not want end to what he describes
Ruling party candidate Bi- to have the election re- as wasteful and excessive
nali Yildirim and secular op- peated when it challenged spending by the municipal-
position candidate Ekrem the outcome. He claimed People watch a live broadcast of a televised debate between ity, which has been con-
Imamoglu argued during the rerun could have been Istanbul's mayoral candidate Binali Yildirim, right, of Turkey's trolled by the AKP and an
the live televised debate, avoided if there had been ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and Ekrem Ima- Islamic-based predecessor
a rarity in Turkey, over the a full recount of all votes. moglu, centre, candidate of the secular opposition Republican for 25 years.
People's Party, or CHP, ahead of June 23 re-run of Istanbul elec-
election authority's deci- The election authority's tions, Sunday, June 16, 2019. Yildirim is running with his
sion to void the first mayoral decision to void the vote Associated Press track record as a former
election. Yildirim, a former came after weeks of partial transport minister, saying
Turkish prime minister, said recounts. moments such as when The candidates answered his experience will improve
the March 31 election had Fox TV journalist Ismail Yildirim repeatedly broke a questions on an array of city management and
been "stolen" from him. Kucukkaya moderated the debate rule of not talking topics from the needs of transport, decreasing com-
Imamoglu, a former dis- 3-hour debate, a job that over or directly responding young voters and women, mute times in the city over-
trict mayor backed by the entailed managing heated to his opponent. to the economy and the whelmed by traffic.q

Zuzana Caputova inaugurated as 1st Slovak female president

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) in her hometown of Pezi- only dream of."
— Liberal environmental nok, for which she received Kiska backed Caputova
activist and lawyer Zuzana the prestigious Goldman in the presidential vote in
Caputova was inaugurat- Environmental Prize in 2016. March when she beat Eu-
ed Saturday as the first fe- A divorced mother of two, ropean Commission Vice
male president of Slovakia. she is in favor of gay rights President Maros Sefcovic in
Caputova took the oath of and opposes a ban on a runoff vote.
office at a special session of abortion in this conserva- Kiska's five-year term in of-
Parliament, becoming Slo- tive Roman Catholic coun- fice was marked by clashes
vakia's fifth president since try. with populist former prime
it gained independence She only recently became minister Robert Fico and
after the split of Czechoslo- vice chairman of Progres- his leftist party, a dominant
vakia in 1993. sive Slovakia, a new pro-EU political force that was tar-
The 45-year-old has little party that won the recent nished by corruption scan-
experience in politics but European Parliament elec- dals.
attracted voters who are tion in Slovakia Caputova and Kiska had New Slovak President Zuzana Caputova takes her presidential
oath during a parliamentary session in Bratislava, Slovakia, Sat-
appalled by corruption Caputova resigned from both supported the mas- urday, June 15, 2019.
and mainstream politics. her party post after winning sive anti-government street Associated Press
Her election to the largely the first round of the presi- protests last year following
ceremonial post defied a dential vote. the slayings of an investiga- CAR RENTAL 5616944
wave of gains for far right Like her popular predeces- tive reporter and his fian-
populists across Europe. sor Andrej Kiska, who didn't cee that that led to the fall Address: Paramira #30 (Oranjestad) - Email: yessrentalcar@gmail.com - Website: www.yessrentalcar.com
"I'm not here to rule, I'm run for a second term, she is of Fico's coalition govern- We Rent:
here to serve,"Caputova firmly supporting Slovakia's ment. Investigators have Cars- Vans - SUV
said in her inauguration membership in the Europe- linked Jan Kuciak's death
speech. an Union and NATO. to his work probing possible
A lawyer by profession, Ca- She said the EU and NATO widespread government
putova became known for give her country "happiness corruption. "I want to be
leading a successful fight and privilege that (previ- the voice of those who are
against a toxic waste dump ous) generations could not heard," she said.q