Turkey’s main opposition party has called on supporters to gather outside parliament on Wednesday in defiance of a government ban on protests on a day marking the country’s founding principles.
The rally comes one month after the March 23 arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the main political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Özgür Özel, head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), said Tuesday he would speak outside parliament despite the ban. He called for a mass turnout to mark National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, which honors the establishment of the Turkish parliament in 1920.
“April 23 cannot be banned,” Özel wrote on X. “Our gathering in front of parliament and our march to Anıtkabir cannot be stopped.”
“I invite all people of Ankara, especially young people and students, and everyone who will be in Ankara tomorrow, to come to parliament at 5 p.m., Turkish flags in hand. Sovereignty belongs to the nation.”
Özel was elected party leader 18 months ago. The CHP was established by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.
İmamoğlu, widely seen as the CHP’s top contender for the 2028 presidential race, also referenced the rally in a message from Silivri Prison in İstanbul, where he has been held on corruption charges since March.
“I will watch this march for national sovereignty from prison. I will be at your side, marching with you,” İmamoğlu said on X.
His arrest has sparked ongoing protests in major cities, drawing thousands of mostly young demonstrators.
© Agence France-Presse