CHP set to launch rallies abroad starting in Brussels

ANKARA

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is preparing to take its rallies demanding the release of jailed presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu and early elections abroad, beginning with a gathering in Brussels later this month.

Since March, the CHP has staged weekly demonstrations in Istanbul districts and in provinces across the country. The first rally outside Türkiye is scheduled for Oct. 12 in Brussels, where CHP leader Özgür Özel is expected to meet with Turkish voters.

Party officials responsible for international outreach will travel ahead of the rally to oversee preparations and meet with local community members, according to media reports.

CHP’s central board members will also monitor the event as they have done in provincial rallies. Additional rallies abroad are expected to follow.

The expansion of the rallies comes as Özel consolidates his leadership amid ongoing court challenges. He was reelected party leader on Sept. 21 in a rerun vote intended to address a lawsuit questioning the legitimacy of the 2023 congress that first elevated him.

The party’s central executive committee on Sept. 30 held its first meeting after the congress to review legislative priorities and foreign policy issues.

Meanwhile, the CHP’s Istanbul branch also reinstated its ousted provincial leader, Özgür Çelik, during an extraordinary congress on Sept. 24.

Çelik had been removed earlier over alleged irregularities in last year’s congress. The court has since combined that case with another contesting the party’s November 2023 convention. The next hearing is set for Oct. 24, though CHP officials argue that Özel’s recent reelection has resolved the matter.

The party is also expected to hold a work camp for its members of parliament this weekend, with reports suggesting that Özel will first address supporters at a rally in the northwestern city of Bolu.