Turkey Re-elected: Imamoglu party backs leader Özel
In the wake of the dismissal of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Turkey's largest opposition party has confirmed its leader Özgür Özel in office. The 50-year-old received 1171 out of 1276 delegate votes at an extraordinary party conference on Sunday and thus all the valid votes cast, reported the opposition-affiliated Anka news agency. Apart from Özel, no other candidate stood.
06.04.2025, 15:24
SDA
Since the arrest and subsequent detention of the now deposed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, his CHP party has been at the forefront of an anti-government protest movement. The party has brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets and is supporting a boycott movement against companies and brands suspected of being close to the government. A large rally is planned for the afternoon in Ankara.
The CHP held the special party conference in response to fears that a trustee could be appointed for the party. However, such a measure has not been averted with the election, said the deputy chairwoman of the CHP, Gamze Tascier.
Investigations into the 2023 party congress
The appointment could be in connection with investigations into the party over a party congress in 2023. There are allegations that delegates were bribed with cell phones in order to vote for Özel. Özel and the CHP deny the allegations. The party sees the government's attempt to weaken the opposition behind the possible appointment of trustees and Imamoglu's arrest.
In addition to Imamoglu, numerous other people were arrested on March 19, including businessmen and people from Imamoglu's immediate circle. In the afternoon, there were also protests in Istanbul against the detention of Mahir Polat, the deputy secretary general of the Istanbul city administration, as various media reported. Polat's lawyer announced on the X platform that he was demanding the release of his client for health reasons. According to the lawyer, his client's life was in danger in custody due to his high blood pressure.
