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Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP) held an extraordinary congress in Ankara today, Sunday, April 6, under the shadow of the arrest of Istanbul Mayor and the party's candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, Ekrem Imamoglu.
The congress confirmed the re-election of the sole candidate, Özgür Özel, as the leader of the opposition party. Özel received 1,171 votes out of a total of 1,276 delegates present. Elections were also held for all 181 members of the Party Council.
"Today Turkey is led by a junta that is afraid of elections, afraid of its opponents, afraid of the people. Erdoğan is not a president who has the support of the people. But he has turned into a junta leader who targets those who might challenge him," Özel said in his speech.
He also called on President Erdoğan to call early elections and face Ekrem İmamoğlu at the ballot box: “If you have the courage, you will accept it (the postponement of the elections), if you want, you can do it in the first week of June, as soon as possible. If you say 'no, I don't have time,' then in the middle of your mandate, by November at the latest, you will come out and face our candidate.”
Ekrem İmamoğlu sent a letter to the congress, stating that “those who attempted the coup against democratic life and the will of the people have plunged our country into a deep crisis of legitimacy.” In the congress hall, an empty seat bore the name of imprisoned Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
The extraordinary congress was called by CHP chairman Özgür Özel on March 21, three days after the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, amid growing concerns that the ongoing prosecutorial investigation, in addition to that against the mayor, could lead to the dismissal of party leaders and the appointment of an administrator. To prevent this possibility, Özel decided to hold the extraordinary congress.
The prosecutorial investigation concerns allegations of bribery against delegates at the last CHP congress, in November 2023. The allegations have taken on broad legal and political dimensions, as they were also supported by former president Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who demanded explanations from Özgür Özel in a television program.
After the election of the president, a massive protest was held in front of the “Nazim Hikmet Cultural Center”, where the congress was held. Addressing the crowd, Özgür Özel reiterated his call for a trade boycott of products and services from companies supporting the government.
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