, has announced that his party will hold a preliminary election on March 23 to determine its presidential nominee for the next election, slated for 2028.){kind=link}
Özgür Özel, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has announced that his party will hold a preliminary election on March 23 to determine its presidential nominee for the next election, slated for 2028.
Özel made the announcement at a meeting on Tuesday amid an ongoing crackdown on the CHP, which saw the launch of investigations and arrests of party mayors in recent months and the removal from office of two mayors on what many say are politically motivated charges. His announcement came on the same day that 10 people including CHP deputy mayors and city council members were detained in İstanbul on terrorism-related charges.
“We will determine our presidential candidate in the preliminary election to be held on Sunday, March 23,” Özel said.
“I invite you to compete, to face us without fear in an honest race,” he added, addressing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Özel said the decision to hold the preliminary election was made during a meeting on Sunday with İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, who are seen as the most likely CHP presidential candidates.
At this meeting Yavaş said he would not participate in a preliminary intra-party election that will determine the party’s presidential candidate, finding such an election “too early” now, according to Turkish media. He added that the outcome of such an election should not be the only criterion for selecting the CHP presidential candidate, noting that other alternatives such as the results of opinion polls should also be taken into consideration.
Özel said on Tuesday that although Yavaş will not take part in the preliminary election, he said he would respect whatever decision the party makes.
In the wake of growing judicial pressure on the party, Özel announced last month his party’s intention to hold a preliminary election among its more than 1.5 million members to determine its presidential candidate for the next presidential election.
There are concerns that if the CHP announces its presidential candidate so early, this could lead Erdoğan to use various tactics including his sway over the courts to sideline the nominee to prevent their candidacy.
Since İmamoğlu faces several investigations and had already been sentenced to more than two years in prison and barred from politics in December 2022 for allegedly insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK), it is not yet known whether he will be legally eligible when election day arrives. The mayor has appealed his sentence, which is still pending.
There are claims that Erdoğan wants to sideline İmamoğlu — the mostly likely candidate to challenge him if he tries to seek another term as president — with operations in CHP municipalities.
Both İmamoğlu and Yavaş are currently serving their second terms in office and enjoy substantial public support.