The leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, the centre-left and secular Republican People’s Party (CHP), called on Sunday for early elections “no later than November.”
For several days, Istanbul’s residents have been protesting against the arrest of their popular mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu.
İmamoğlu is seen as a major challenger to current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He was arrested on 19 March following corruption allegations, and the investigation is ongoing. His supporters and human rights organisations claim the investigation is politically motivated.
From his cell, İmamoğlu officially declared his candidacy for the presidential elections scheduled for May 2028, just days after his arrest. On Sunday, the CHP chairman renewed calls for early elections. “You should face our candidate by November at the latest,” said Özgür Özel, addressing Erdoğan at a party congress in Ankara. “We invite you to once again appeal to the people’s will, which will result in the biggest vote of no confidence in history.”
Even before İmamoğlu’s arrest, the CHP was pushing for early elections. In March 2024, Erdoğan’s party, the AKP, experienced its largest electoral defeat since the Islamist party came to power. In municipal elections, CHP garnered 35% of the vote, becoming the largest party, notably winning in AKP strongholds as well as major cities.
