ISTANBUL (AP) 鈥 Turkey鈥檚 main opposition party reelected its chairman Sunday, two weeks after the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, the party鈥檚 highest profile rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ozgur Ozel was reelected at an extraordinary congress of the Republican People鈥檚 Party, or CHP, which he called to prevent what he said was a plot by the government to appoint a caretaker for the party.
The arrest of Istanbul鈥檚 opposition Mayor on corruption charges has ignited Imamoglu had emerged as the main challenger to Erdogan鈥檚 22-year rule since he was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019, overturning a quarter-century of rule by parties from Turkey鈥檚 conservative Islamist tradition.
The opposition claims the charges against Imamoglu are politically motivated, but the government insists the judiciary is independent and free of political interference.
While in prison, Imamoglu was confirmed as the CHP鈥檚 presidential candidate for the election scheduled for 2028, but which will likely to take place earlier.
Ozel said he decided to call Sunday's party congress on March 21, two days after Imamoglu's arrest and hours before the alleged government caretaker was to be appointed for CHP.
鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 have the courage to compete with us in service, so instead they attempted to intimidate our municipalities and the opposition by using the might of the government against their rivals," Ozel told the assembly. "They thought they could remain in power by polarizing the public and provoking new conflicts.鈥
and a delegation from the European Parliament's Party of European Socialists visited the CHP headquarters Saturday to offer their support and solidarity with 鈥渁ll people fighting for democracy and the rule of law in Turkey.鈥 Turkish media reported that Papandreou attended Sunday's congress.
Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, suffered a major setback during municipal elections last year, when the CHP retained control over key cities like Istanbul and Ankara while also making huge gains elsewhere.
In the months since that election, many opposition mayors of both the CHP and the pro-Kurdish Peoples鈥 Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM, have been replaced by government-appointed caretakers on terrorism charges, which the parties strongly dispute.
