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Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has reelected its chairman, Özgür Özel, during an extraordinary congress on Sunday, just two weeks after the arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, The Associated Press reported. The move comes in the wake of political unrest following İmamoğlu’s arrest on corruption charges, which has sparked widespread anti-government protests.
Özgür Özel’s reelection comes at a critical time for the CHP, a party that has emerged as the highest-profile challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s rule, the report said. Özel, who called for the congress to prevent what he described as a government-backed attempt to install a caretaker to lead the party, delivered a strong message to both party members and the public.
“They didn’t have the courage to compete with us in service, so instead they attempted to intimidate our municipalities and the opposition by using the might of the government against their rivals,” Ozel told the assembly, according to AP. “They thought they could remain in power by polarizing the public and provoking new conflicts.”
İmamoğlu, a prominent figure in the opposition, is seen as Erdoğan’s most significant political rival. He won the mayoralty of Istanbul in 2019, a city that had been under conservative Islamist control for decades, the report said. Critics have argued that the charges against İmamoğlu are politically motivated and aimed at eliminating a major opponent to Erdoğan’s government. The ruling government, however, has maintained that the judiciary is independent, and there has been no political interference in the case.
While in prison, İmamoğlu was confirmed as the CHP’s presidential candidate for the upcoming 2028 election.
The CHP’s position has been bolstered by the results of last year’s municipal elections, where the opposition retained control of major cities like Istanbul and Ankara, alongside notable gains in other regions. However, since the elections, a significant number of opposition mayors, including those from the CHP, have been replaced by government-appointed caretakers on allegations of terrorism charges, which the concerned parties dispute.
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