CHP's Imamoglu pelted with rocks at election rally in AKP city Erzurum
CHP handout footage shows security personnel using umbrellas behind Imamoglu to shield him from the stones, as he was rushed into the bus and the rally ended earlier than expected.
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Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), surrounded by his security personnel, speaks during an election rally in Erzurum, Turkey May 7, 2023. (Reuters)
Opposition Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was confronted by a crowd during his election rally speech for the Republican People's Party (CHP) in the city of Erzurum - a city known for its strong ruling party AKP affiliation - on Sunday.
Imamoglu was faced off by a crowd of around 100 people who began throwing rocks at his campaign bus.
According to the CHP handout footage, security personnel used umbrellas behind Imamoglu to shield him from the stones, as he was rushed into the bus and the rally ended earlier than expected.
Erzurumlu hemşehrilerimle saat 18:00’deki buluşmamıza engel olunmaya çalışılıyor. Erzurum Büyükşehir Belediye Başkanı @mehmetsekmen bu nezaketsizliğin kara lekesini ömrünün sonuna kadar taşıyacaksın.
— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) May 7, 2023
Saat 18.00’de tüm Erzurumluları Havuzbaşı Kent Meydanı’na bekliyorum. Haydi… pic.twitter.com/NvkQJWxQhU
To disperse the angry crowd of people, anti-riot police were seen in the footage using water cannon vehicles.
On his social media account, the mayor stated that 9 people, including one child, were wounded during the attacks. Imamoglu is set to snatch the position of vice president if the CHP-opposition alliance wins in the upcoming elections on May 14.
Also yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a mass rally in Istanbul with at least 1.7 million people attending, less than a week before the Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
During the rally, Erdogan hailed the crowd and recalled his government's achievements over the past 21 years. The President claimed that over that period, his government has tripled the national income.
Read more: Majority of Turkish diaspora voting for Erdogan: Expert to Al Mayadeen
Recent surveys show Erdogan and his main opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu in a heated race along with two other candidates. If none of them receives a clear majority in the first round of voting, the top two contenders will face off in a second round on May 28.
The Turkish Future Party led by former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu witnessed 300 people resign in the state of Erzurum and joined Erdogan's Justice and Development Party.
Among the resigned members was the Future Party's Youth Branch President in Erzurum, Muhammet Firat Kirbac. During an affiliation ceremony, the newly admitted members were handed the badge of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party by parliamentarian Selami AltinokIn.
