Turkiye: CHP nominates İmamoğlu for presidency despite detention

Shafaq News/ On Monday, the Turkish Republican People's Party (CHP) announced its official nomination of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the suspended mayor of Istanbul, to run in the upcoming presidential elections.

In press statements, party officials emphasized that İmamoğlu’s arrest does not constitute a legal barrier to his candidacy, as no formal conviction has been issued against him. They also described the decision to annul his academic credentials as a "clear attempt to prevent his candidacy."

A senior party official was quoted as saying, "What they want is simply to prevent İmamoğlu from running, but millions stand by him, and we will continue to resist."

The official revealed that the CHP has a strategic plan in place to counter any "possibility of appointing a trustee to the Greater Istanbul Municipality or further decisions against İmamoğlu."

The party reiterated its commitment to ongoing public action against the arrest and detention orders, declaring, "The more injustices we face, the stronger our reactions will be."

Meanwhile, CHP leader Özgür Özal revealed that nearly 15 million people participated in the symbolic primary elections organized by the party to choose its presidential candidate.

Özal explained that 1.65 million official party members, along with more than 13 million independent voters, cast ballots in the elections held at the party’s headquarters, “reflecting broad support for İmamoğlu, even among those not affiliated with the party.”

İmamoğlu, who was detained on Sunday, arrived at the Marmara Prison after a court decision to imprison him concerning ongoing investigations into corruption and terrorism. The court announced that İmamoğlu, along with 20 other individuals, is being held in connection with a corruption case, while the terrorism investigation remains under judicial review.