Turkey: Opposition CHP reelects leader Ozgur Ozel – DW – 04/06/2025

The party of jailed Istanbul Major Ekrem Imamoglu reelected its leader on Sunday, as it seeks to capitalize on mass opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’srule.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) picked Ozgur Ozel as chairman at an extraordinary party congress in Ankara.

The 50-year-old Ozel was reelected by an overwhelming majority of 1,171 of 1,276 ballots cast, reported the Anka News Agency, which is considered to be close to the opposition.

Ozel did not face a challenger.

CHP behind protests against Imamoglu’s jailing

The CHP has led anti-government protests that have swept Turkey since Imamoglu was arrested, removed from office and jailed on corruption and terrorism allegations last month.

The demonstrations have drawn hundreds of thousands of people, including students. 

Although the protests have been largely peaceful, almost 2,000 people have been detained and around 300 of them jailed pending trial.

The CHP says the Turkish government has trumped up the charges against Imamoglu, who is seen as Erdogan’s main challenger in the country’s next election, scheduled for 2028.

Some opinion polls suggest that Imamoglu has more public support than longtime president Erdogan, who must get parliament’s support for an earlier election if he wants to run again.

Ozel promises further anti-Erdogan protests

Ozel vowed at a nearby rally after his reelection that the party would stage a protest against Imamoglu’s jailing in a different city every weekend, as well as regular demonstrations in Istanbul.

He said that more than 7 million people have signed the CHP’s petition demanding an early election.

The party picked Imamoglu as the CHP’s presidential candidate in an internal vote held on March 23.

Nearly 15 million people endorsed his candidacy, the party said.

The CHP called Sunday’s extraordinary congress after concerns were raised that Turkish authorities would appoint a trustee to run the party following a criminal investigation into alleged irregularities around its last summit two years ago.

More to follow…

Edited by John Silk