İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has officially entered his Republican People’s Party (CHP) presidential primary, submitting his candidacy through his lawyer at the party headquarters in the capital of Ankara.

Announcing his decision on social media, İmamoğlu said, "Today, I took the first step toward a new beginning by officially applying to become the presidential candidate of the Republican People’s Party, a party I am honored to be a member of."

The CHP, Turkey’s main opposition party, has decided to select its presidential candidate for the upcoming election through a primary vote among party members.

In his announcement, İmamoğlu highlighted the importance of justice, freedom, prosperity, and unity in the country, saying, "We are embarking on a journey to make our state democratic and strong, our people wealthy and peaceful, and our citizens equal and free."

He outlined key priorities, including restoring parliamentary democracy, ensuring checks and balances, and promoting democratic participation. İmamoğlu also vowed to separate state institutions, media, science, arts, and sports from political partisanship.

"Justice will not serve those in power but will be the foundation of the state," he said, asserting that his leadership would seek fair political competition rather than viewing opponents as enemies. "We will work hard, we will succeed, and we will share fairly. We will never tire, and we will never give up," he declared.

Before his candidacy announcement, he held a meeting on Feb 9 with CHP leader Özgür Özel and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, another widely discussed potential candidate. Following the meeting, Yavaş announced that he would not enter the primary.

İmamoğlu’s rise in Turkey's political scene

İmamoğlu, a contractor, served as the mayor of İstanbul's Beylikdüzü district between 2014 and 2019. He first gained national prominence in 2019 when he won the İstanbul mayoral race, ending 25 years of rule by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its predecessors. As he gained popularity, he was positioned as a key opposition figure ahead of the 2023 presidential election. At the time, the CHP’s then-coalition partner, the nationalist Good (İYİ) Party, supported İmamoğlu’s potential candidacy. However, İmamoğlu never declared his intentions to become a presidential candidate. CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu ultimately ran against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and lost.

Following Erdoğan’s reelection in what was seen as his toughest race in two decades, İmamoğlu spearheaded a "change" campaign within the CHP, challenging Kılıçdaroğlu’s leadership. In Nov 2023, Özgür Özel, backed by İmamoğlu, defeated Kılıçdaroğlu in the party congress, ending his 14-year tenure.

İmamoğlu further solidified his influence in the 2024 local elections, winning reelection as İstanbul mayor by a significant margin against the AKP’s candidate.

Legal challenges

Since taking office in 2019, İmamoğlu has faced multiple legal cases. In 2022, he was sentenced to a political ban and prison time for allegedly insulting members of the Supreme Election Council (YSK). That case remains under appeal.

More recently, he has been the subject of new investigations, including charges of attempting to influence the judiciary and allegedly targeting counterterrorism officials. The former charge was pressed after İmamoğlu's revelation last month that the same expert witness was involved in multiple investigations targeting CHP-run municipalities in İstanbul, including Beşiktaş and Esenyurt, the mayors of which have been arrested and removed from office. The terrorism-related investigation followed İmamoğlu's remarks targeting the chief public prosecutor of İstanbul, Akın Gürlek, who has been widely criticized by the CHP as being aligned with the government's agenda targeting its opponents.

More recently, he has been the subject of new investigations, including charges of attempting to influence the judiciary and allegedly targeting counterterrorism officials. The first charge was filed after İmamoğlu revealed last month that the same expert witness had been involved in multiple investigations into CHP-run municipalities in İstanbul, including Beşiktaş and Esenyurt, whose mayors have been arrested and removed from office. The terrorism-related investigation followed İmamoğlu's critical remarks about İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, whom the CHP has widely criticized as being aligned with the government's agenda against political opponents.

If convicted, he could face a lengthy prison sentence and another political ban.

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(VK)