CHP's İmamoğlu launches presidential primary campaign

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has officially launched his campaign in the main opposition CHP’s primary election. He said, "Dawn is breaking, as we set out on a challenging path," emphasizing hope, and vowing to resolve Turkey's ongoing economic hardship and political turmoil.

Thursday February 27 2025 02:45 pm

Ceren Bayar / Gazete Duvar

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Feb. 27 met with lawmakers from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Party Assembly members, Central Executive Board members, and provincial and district chairs as a candidate in the CHP primary for determining its presidential candidate.

Before the "Elect and Make History" event, İmamoğlu held a brief meeting with CHP lawmakers. The meeting was described as a "gesture of gratitude" to the parliamentary group. Afterward, CHP Chair Özgür Özel and İmamoğlu entered the hall together.

İmamoğlu greeted the audience by saying the CHP primary marked the first time in Turkey's history that a party’s members would choose its presidential candidate.

He was "eagerly" looking forward to bidding the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government farewell.

The primary candidate emphasized the ongoing structural changes in the main opposition party. "If the CHP changes, Turkey changes. The CHP has shaken off its stagnation, started changing, and initiated transformation."

"At the 2023 congress, it overcame the sense of despair from the lost general election. Since March 31, 2024, we have been Turkey’s leading party. And now, we must declare that it is time to move forward. We must now say, as all members of the CHP, that we have started and strengthened the transformation of our party," he continued.

İmamoğlu also addressed the ongoing lawsuits against him that seek a political ban. "They are seeking a prison sentence of up to 25 years for me. They are monitoring the process in hopes of canceling our party congress. Their vision has darkened so much that they have forgotten that the people’s will cannot be suppressed."

He addressed citizens with a message of hope. "I want to address our nation. To the great people of this country, who are exhausted from economic hardship caused by waste, incompetence, and arrogance, who are disheartened by endless political crises and increasing social decay, ..., who see the collapse of justice, education, and healthcare, and who are mourning losses from workplace accidents, fires, earthquakes, and negligence. I say: Do not lose hope. Keep your spirits high. The dawn is breaking.

"We are setting out on a long and arduous journey. We are embarking on this journey to change the system, to restore hope and trust, to heal a nation exhausted by darkness, and to elevate Turkey to its rightful place in the world," the Istanbul mayor concluded his message.

(English version by Ayşenaz Toptaş)