Ankara Mayor Gokcek to submit resignation on Saturday
After meeting Turkish president, Ankara Mayor Ibrahim Melih Gokcek announces his departure after 23 years in office
By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet
ANKARA
Marking the end of a nearly quarter-century era in Turkey's capital, the mayor of Ankara's Greater Municipality is set to step down, announcing late Monday he will submit his resignation on Saturday.
On Twitter, Ibrahim Melih Gokcek said he had met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.
"Inshallah, I'll extraordinarily convene Ankara Municipal Council on Saturday, bid farewell to our Council Members & submit my resignation," Gokcek said on his official English Twitter account.
Gokcek has been Ankara's mayor for 23 years.
Following his meeting with Gokcek, Erdogan stressed his confidence in Turkey’s youth, a theme he has recently sounded in moves to freshen the ranks of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.
"In due course our young people will take over the significant duties of this nation," he wrote on his Twitter account.
What matters is "love of service," not love of one’s post, Erdogan added.
