Turkey CHP leader urges early presidential election amid mayor arrests
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CHP leader Ozgur Ozel demands an early presidential election in November after the detention of opposition mayors in Adana, Antalya, and Adiyaman as part of a corruption probe.
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Republican People's Party or (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel delivers a speech, during a CHP convention, in Ankara, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP)
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Turkey's largest opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), called on Saturday for an early presidential election to be held in November. The demand follows the detention of three opposition mayors in a sweeping corruption investigation.
"If the AK Party is truly the leading party, let's hold an early election on Sunday, November 2. If you were indeed the leading party, you wouldn't hesitate to face an election," Ozel stated during an emergency executive committee meeting.
Crackdown on opposition
Early Saturday, police detained the mayors of Adana, Antalya, and Adiyaman, all governed by CHP members. The arrests are part of an expanding probe into alleged corruption within municipalities led by the opposition.
Earlier in the week, nearly 160 individuals, including former mayor Tunc Soyer, were taken into custody over corruption charges in Izmir, another city governed by the CHP.
Since October last year, the crackdown has targeted hundreds of CHP members, including at least 11 other mayors. The opposition party broadly denies the accusations and has condemned the ongoing probe as politically motivated, claims that the government has firmly rejected.
In March, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, considered the main political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was jailed pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies.
His detention triggered the largest street protests in Turkey in a decade and led to a sharp decline in Turkish financial markets.
While the opposition has denounced these investigations as politically motivated, the government maintains that the probes are legitimate and necessary.
Erdogan responds to political accusations
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused CHP officials of attempting to "cover up crimes," dismissing the opposition’s claims of political targeting. Tensions between the ruling party and the opposition continue to escalate amid the high-profile arrests.
Despite the growing calls from the CHP, the Turkish government has reiterated that the next presidential election will proceed as scheduled in 2028.
Read more: Erdogan is isolating Turkey from EU, Opposition leader says
