CHP formally names İmamoğlu as presidential candidate

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has officially declared the now-suspended İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu as its presidential candidate, following a party primary held on Mar 23.

The decision was finalized during a meeting of the CHP Party Assembly held today under the leadership of party chair Özgür Özel. Alongside İmamoğlu’s nomination, the assembly also approved holding an extraordinary congress on Apr 6.

İmamoğlu was preparing to enter the primary as the sole candidate when he was detained on Mar 19 and subsequently arrested on Mar 23 as part of a corruption investigation. He was suspended from his post as mayor on the same day.

Despite his arrest, the CHP primary proceeded as scheduled on Mar 23. In a symbolic show of solidarity with İmamoğlu, the CHP invited not only party members but the broader public to cast votes. The party claimed that 15.5 million people participated in the primary, a figure that would represent roughly one in four eligible voters in Turkey. The number has not been independently verified. Turkey's next presidential election is scheduled for 2028.

On Mar 26, the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Council, where the CHP holds a majority, elected Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan, also a CHP member, as acting mayor.

The CHP’s 21st Extraordinary Congress is set to take place on Apr 6. Following İmamoğlu's detention, Özel announced the party would hold an early congress to prevent the possibility of a government-appointed trustee taking over the CHP. 

The move comes amid an ongoing investigation into alleged procedural irregularities during the CHP’s November 2023 congress, where Özel was elected party leader. That inquiry could potentially lead to the annulment of the congress and the appointment of a temporary trustee to oversee the party.

Özel defeated longtime party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in that congress, following a leadership change campaign spearheaded by İmamoğlu in the wake of Kılıçdaroğlu’s loss to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2023 presidential election. İmamoğlu had publicly backed Özel in the leadership race. (VK)