The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) pressed ahead with its twice-weekly nationwide rallies on Nov. 16, gathering supporters in the southern province of Kilis.
"We have come to Kilis to shout out to all of Türkiye about the injustices we are suffering, how we are fighting back and what we will do together from now on," CHP leader Özgür Özel told the crowd.
The rallies were launched in response to Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's March 23 arrest on corruption charges, the same day he was declared the CHP’s presidential candidate.
Before the rally, Özel toured the city with Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş and CHP's provincial leader, Mehmet Umut Sapan.
Last year’s local elections marked a political turning point in Kilis, where the CHP’s Hakan Bilecen won with nearly 42 percent of the vote, defeating the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) candidate Reşit Polat, who received around 27 percent.
It was the first time since the AKP’s founding in 2001 that the party failed to carry the province.
Alongside its campaign for İmamoğlu, the CHP is demanding early elections despite the next national vote not being scheduled until 2028.
Meanwhile, the CHP escalated its challenge to the legal case against İmamoğlu. In a written statement on Nov. 14, the party said it had filed a complaint with the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) against the prosecutors who prepared the indictment against the Istanbul Municipality.
The CHP alleges that statements attributed to confidential witnesses were copied and reused as if they came from different individuals. Prosecutors seek a prison sentence of up to 2,430 years for İmamoğlu.
