Istanbul mayor hopeful: I will resign if everyone does

<p>By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu</p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – The ruling party’s candidate for Istanbul mayor on Thursday offered to quit his position as parliament speaker if other candidates similarly stepped down.</p> <p>&quot;Here you are, [if] all candidates resign, then we will [too],&quot; Binali Yildirim told parliamentary correspondents at a breakfast.</p> <p>Yildirim also urged parliament to pass a law forcing all mayoral candidates to step down from their offices.</p> <p>Yildirim, a former prime minister, is the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party’s candidate for Istanbul mayor in local elections set for March 31.</p> <p>The Istanbul mayor’s office is an important post, as the metropolis includes nearly one in five of Turkey's population.</p> <p>Opposition parties have called on Yildirim to quit his post as parliament speaker.</p> <p>During the breakfast, Yildirim also spoke in honor of January 10 Working Journalists' Day, which has been celebrated since 1961 to honor the rights of journalists.</p>