CHP opens presidential campaign office for İmamoğlu

ANKARA

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) opened a presidential campaign office on July 26 in Ankara for jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

The ceremony took place in a former CHP headquarters building and was attended by party leader Özgür Özel, Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, İmamoğlu’s wife Dilek İmamoğlu and supporters. The office bears the motto "Justice first, freedom first, for everyone, everywhere."

İmamoğlu was detained on March 19 as part of a corruption investigation and formally arrested on March 23, the same day the CHP announced him as its presidential candidate for the next elections.

Since then, the party has launched rallies calling for his release and for early elections. Özel used the opening event to renew those calls.

A letter from İmamoğlu was also read aloud at the opening.

"The Presidential Candidate Office is, above all, an expression of our nation's commitment to the republic and democracy, and our belief in the supremacy of the national will," İmamoğlu said.

"This is not the office of a party or an individual, but of the nation. Completely, it belongs to the entire nation! This will be a center where we will make history together with our nation."

He said the campaign office aims to develop “radical and lasting solutions” to Türkiye's challenges through a democratic political approach.

"Let everyone know very well that the only victory we seek is the victory of common sense and common conscience. The victory we seek is to rescue the nation from the situation it finds itself in," he said.

"We promise not just a change of person, a change of cadre or a change of program, but a major change of mindset."

The office’s executive committee includes CHP secretary-general Selin Sayek Böke, lawmaker Bülent Tezcan and İmamoğlu’s advisor Serkan Özcan.