The Turkish opposition questions Erdogan in the first elections in the first post

On Sunday, the leader of the principal opposition party of Turkey asked that the first elections are “no later than November”, depositing the glove to President Rece Tayyip Erdogan who is struggling with generalized demonstrations.

In an attempt to galvanize its supporters, the CHP party organized an extraordinary congress in Ankara to re -election its leader Ozgur Ozel, who ran without opposition and won 1,171 votes out of 1,276.

The Congress comes as Turkey has repressed the largest demonstrations in the country for years, triggered by the arrest last month of the mayor of Popular Opposition of Istanbul and presidential candidate of the CHP, Ekrem Imamoglu.

“In November, at the latest, you will manage to face our candidate,” said Ozel, speaking to Erdogan, welcoming his party's campaign against the Turkish president as “the biggest movement of non-confidence in history”.

“We will challenge you, we want our candidate to our side,” added Ozel. “We invite you to appeal to the will of the people.”

Nearly 1,900 people were detained in the troubles following the detention of the man widely considered as the biggest political challenger of Erdogan, including several hundred students, journalists and young people.

Ozel has become the face of the demonstrations and the party party hopes that Sunday will help to counter political and judicial pressures, after the dismissal and the arrest of seven mayors of its ranks.

'Show of Force'

Eren Aksoyoglu, analyst of political communications, said by bringing together crowds in the face of the government's repression, Congress is an opportunity for a “show of strength”.

“This congress is an opportunity to show our solidarity with the mayor of Istanbul and the students arrested,” Safi Karayalcin told AFP, a member of the CHP party, told AFP.

“The mayor of Istanbul is unfairly in prison, as are the other mayors and members of the municipal council.

According to Turkish media reports, the authorities seek to withdraw leaders from the CHP party, a year after the opposition victory in the municipal elections.

The party came out at the top of the municipal elections of March 2024 with almost 38% of the votes across the country.

In addition to maintaining its advance in major cities such as Istanbul and Ankara, the CHP also made breakthroughs in regions previously considered as Bastions of Erdogan.

In the days following the arrest of Imamoglu, the CHP attracted tens of thousands of people in the streets of Istanbul and many other cities to denounce a “coup”.

“Tenacious opposition”

Authorized by his re -election at the top of the party, Ozel called on the demonstrations to continue.

“We will organize a rally in Samsun next Sunday, then on May 19 in Izmir … and a night rally every Wednesday evenings in a district of Istanbul,” he said.

The party campaign calling for the release of the mayor of Istanbul has brought together seven million signatures, he said, adding that the objective is to collect at least as many signatures as half of the 61.4 million voters in Turkey.

“Since the arrest of Imamoglu, Ozgur Ozel has given the CHP the image of a party that listens to the street and runs tenacious opposition,” said Aksoyoglu.

“This approach has succeeded in the CHP and with the voters,” added the political analyst.

For Berk Esen, professor of political science at the Sabanci University of Istanbul, Ozel “is perhaps not a very charismatic speaker, but he is articulated, precise and very critical towards those of power”.

“Ozel is at the head of the CHP but has not yet assumed the role of leader,” he added. “By continuing a stubborn opposition to Erdogan, he could strengthen his leadership.”

(With the exception of the title, this story was not published by Firstpoststaff.)