İmamoğlu deems era of 'chronic opposition' over for CHP

Duvar English

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Sept. 8 spoke at the 20th Extraordinary Congress of the Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). 

Following the party’s recent bylaw changes, the congress continued with programmatic discussions. İmamoğlu delivered a speech on the second day of the program as the President of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey and Mayor of Istanbul.

İmamoğlu emphasized that the party was going through an extremely important period, stating, "Today, we woke up to a party that is more democratic, more participatory, and more libertarian than yesterday. Today, we are much closer to becoming the ruling party. We are the party that will make Turkey more democratic, freer, and equal."

"We are strong together. We know our country and our people; we are sincere, and we know their problems because we are among our citizens in every corner of our homeland, from East to West, breathing with them. We are all running together towards better days," İmamoğlu said, and continued,

"Erase the past from your minds. Just look to the future, think about what you will do for the future, and take those steps. Our country is entering the second century of the Republic facing great challenges. We have entered as a weakened state with eroded institutions, a dysfunctional parliament, a collapsed justice and education system, a country distanced from the democratic world, and a population half of which has fallen into poverty.”

The mayor added that since the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power, it has destroyed the middle class, which he called “the main driving force of the country.” 

According to İmamoğlu, the current government had succeeded in equalizing all citizens “in poverty and deprivation.” 

“We see that people have lost hope in this government. This is why our responsibility is immense. Our democracy, our economy, and our future are all under threat,” he stated.  

Turkey has been shaken by crises for a long time, falling behind as the world progresses. Our first task is to listen to our citizens from all walks of life, of all ages, with attention and empathy. When we listen to the people, we hear them say, 'As 86 million citizens, we want to live in a rich and powerful country, in freedom and prosperity.'

"For us, the keywords are 'change' and 'reconstruction.' Just as we inspired the oppressed 101 years ago, today we must not follow but lead, we must be the ones who open the way and guide."

İmamoğlu concluded by stating that the programmatic congress process would begin today.

The mayor stated that the party’s goal was to come to power following its success during the local elections of 2024. “This country needs us and our vision. Every step we take is connected to this goal. There is only one question that every member of our organization should ask themselves with every decision and action: 'Is this step bringing us closer to power?' From now on, we need to evaluate each other based on this goal," he said. 

İmamoğlu concluded his speech by stating, "The era of chronic opposition is over, buried in history," said,

"The CHP is changing. The CHP can no longer be a party for those who believe it cannot come to power. Because the CHP is now the leading party in Turkey, and it must become the ruling party.”