Egypt Daily News – After winning by a landslide in the symbolic elections held by the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Sunday, despite being in prison, the CHP officially announced on Monday the nomination of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu as its presidential candidate for the upcoming elections scheduled in three years. Around 15 million voters participated in the election in solidarity with İmamoğlu and as a challenge to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
On Monday, the opposition CHP officially nominated Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu—who was suspended from office and imprisoned on Sunday—as its candidate for the 2028 presidential elections. This came after nearly 15 million voters cast their ballots in the party’s symbolic primaries in Istanbul, overwhelmingly supporting the imprisoned mayor in a strong show of solidarity, widely seen as a direct challenge to Erdoğan.
According to data released by Istanbul Municipality, 15 million people participated in the vote, including more than 13 million non-party members who expressed their support for İmamoğlu, who was expected to be officially declared as the party’s presidential candidate today.
İmamoğlu was transferred to Marmara Prison, also known as Silivri, west of Istanbul, along with other detainees, according to his party.
Since voting was open to the public and not limited to the party’s 1.7 million members, the municipality stated, “Out of 15 million votes, 13,211,000 (non-party members) expressed their solidarity with İmamoğlu.”
The Republican People’s Party had invited all Turks, including those not registered with it, to participate in the primaries.
Following his imprisonment on charges of “corruption,” İmamoğlu vowed not to back down, as continuous protests erupted in the streets—unprecedented in Turkey for more than a decade.
Republican People’s Party CHP leader Özgür Özel stated, “Ekrem İmamoğlu is on his way to prison, but he is also on his way to the presidency.”
İmamoğlu, 53, became mayor of Turkey’s economic capital in 2019 after defeating the candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which had controlled Istanbul for 25 years.
İmamoğlu Expresses Joy
In his first remarks from prison in western Istanbul, İmamoğlu expressed his immense joy at the election results, describing them as clear proof that millions of Turks reject “government oppression, economic mismanagement, and national chaos.”
In a statement relayed by Istanbul Municipality, İmamoğlu said, “Millions suffering under this government’s policies have turned out en masse to the ballot box today to tell Erdoğan: Enough.”
He vowed that the next general elections would deliver an “unforgettable historic blow” to the current government.
