During an address to the party’s parliamentarians on Tuesday, the head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Özgür Özel, reiterated his call for an early election, stating that the party is ready to name its presidential candidate in the coming months for the next election.
Some 1.6 million CHP members will choose the party's candidate for the election in an internal vote, he added.
The CHP leader’s statement came as the party is dealing with several judicial investigations, particularly the one involving Ekrem Imamoğlu, a CHP member and mayor of Istanbul, who is known for his ambition to seek a presidential run instead of Özel.
Özel’s tone during the address was so fierce that he implied the investigations are politically motivated, targeting the prosecutors and judges.
At a party gathering on Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lashed out at the CHP leader for targeting the judicial organ, saying it is unacceptable and that no one can put pressure on the courts.
The president said those who commit crimes, regardless of who they are, must be held accountable by independent Turkish courts.
On Monday, Imamoğlu found himself in hot water when he made statements that appeared to threaten the family of Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Gürlek after the arrest of Rıza Akpolat, the CHP mayor for the city’s Beşiktaş district, on charges of corruption.
Akpolat and other suspects were detained in early January as part of an investigation into rigging allegations involving the municipality, companies run by municipalities and a businessperson awarded lucrative contracts in Beşiktaş on Istanbul’s European side. That businessperson, Aziz Ihsan Aktaş, was among other arrested suspects after they testified for hours at the courthouse.
The CHP gathered a large crowd outside the Beşiktaş municipality building after the announcement of the mayor's arrest.
The judicial developments and the statements that followed are now at the heart of Turkish politics, with the government defending judicial independence, while the opposition claims it is all part of politics.
These debates have given the opposition a greater platform to voice their early election agenda, despite the election not being scheduled until 2028.
No political party has officially announced its presidential candidate. However, on Jan. 14, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson said that Erdoğan's candidacy in the upcoming elections is on their agenda. He stated that if the public wants to see him, Erdoğan may run again.
Erdoğan was elected president in 2023 in his first runoff, cementing his place in Turkish politics. He dominated as prime minister and president for more than two decades, a record for any Turkish politician. His tenure will end in 2028. He is serving his last term as president unless Parliament calls an early election, according to the Constitution.
Another Erdoğan term is possible through a constitutional change that could be put to a referendum. It will need the approval of 360 lawmakers in Parliament. The AK Party and its main ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), fall short of the required number of seats in Parliament. Similarly, an early election would need the support of 360 lawmakers in the 600-seat Parliament. But the opposition's support for Erdoğan’s candidacy may pave the way for this process.
It is unclear who the AK Party will pick if Erdoğan decides not to run again. He remains the favorite candidate, even for the CHP, whose unlucky streak against the AK Party was partly broken when it defeated some AK Party mayors in the March 31, 2023, vote. The CHP seeks to boast about defeating the country’s almost invincible leader, while its leader Özel recently said it would be “a healthy democratic process” if Erdoğan runs again and they win against him.
