03.09.2026 14:50
While CHP Chairman Özgür Özel argues that his party has a 65 percent vote potential, he has closed the door to his own presidential candidacy. Saying, 'I do not want to put myself in that pool,' Özel pointed to Ekrem İmamoğlu and Mansur Yavaş as two strong candidates, stating that they will stand behind the person who will win in the first round and receive the support of broad segments.
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel gave clear messages regarding the presidential election and the opposition's candidate selection process during a program on Sözcü TV. Closing the door to his own candidacy, Özel pointed to Ekrem İmamoğlu and Mansur Yavaş, emphasizing that they will stand behind a broadly consensus-based candidate who can win in the first round.
"I DON'T WANT TO PUT MYSELF IN THAT POOL"
Answering İsmail Küçükkaya's questions, Özgür Özel made assessments regarding the opposition's search for a joint candidate. Stating that Ekrem İmamoğlu and Mansur Yavaş are strong options against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and have the potential to win the election, Özel put an end to claims about his possible candidacy. Expressing that he has no desire to become a presidential candidate, Özel said, "I don't want to put myself in that pool. I have two strong candidates."
SELF-CRITICISM ON THE PAST ELECTION PROCESS
In his statements, Özel also touched upon the previous presidential election process and made a striking self-criticism regarding the candidacy debates of that period. Reminding that Mansur Yavaş and Ekrem İmamoğlu were also ahead at that time, Özel described the process with these words:
"Mansur and Ekrem were definitely winning. The party chairman was also at the bottom. They fueled it. That was their main hostility toward me. I was the last one to be convinced back then. Don't mind that we supported wholeheartedly at the time, did everything for him to win, but I always advocated for Ekrem and Mansur to be nominated, for someone who could win to be nominated, and for this election to be concluded there."
"THERE IS A 65 PERCENT VOTE POTENTIAL"
Arguing that CHP is currently the party with the least objections among voters and has a 65 percent vote potential, Özel answered the question "How will you win the elections?" with "We will win with great sincerity, courage, and effort." Stressing that they will stay away from personal ambitions in their candidate determination strategies, the CHP leader summarized their strategy with these words:
"If you are going to win in the first round, you need to stand behind a candidate with a broad consensus. If another candidate who will win by a wide margin accepts the candidacy from my party, or if the opposition can unite around that candidate, then it's not about 'let it be ours, let it be me, let it be this one or that one'; we will nominate a person who will change this government and return Turkey to democracy."