23.03.2025 14:30
The leader of the CHP, Özgür Özel, cast his vote for the primary elections in Saraçhane following the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Speaking to reporters, Özel stated, "Ekrem İmamoğlu is currently on his way to prison, but at the same time, he is on the path to the presidency. In defiance of those pushing him towards Silivri, the people are bringing him closer to the Çankaya Mansion."
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CHP General Chairman Özgür Özel, along with Ekrem İmamoğlu's wife Dilek İmamoğlu, made statements at the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan. Özel invited citizens who will vote in the election where the CHP will determine its presidential candidate to Saraçhane.
Özel said the following regarding the decision; "Just a moment ago, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was elected three times by 16 million Istanbulites, was arrested for the sole reason of defeating Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and he will win again in the next election. But we are facing two setups. One of them was the terrorism allegation. The request for arrest from there was rejected. There is not even judicial control. However, an arrest warrant was issued from the file they refer to as the İmamoğlu Criminal Organization. This is important in terms of the removal of the trustee appointment. However, appeals will be made for the president to quickly regain his freedom. These appeals are both legal appeals and social protests. The love of the people who have taken to the streets for Ekrem İmamoğlu for four days is not in vain.
"A DEPUTY MAYOR WILL BE ELECTED"
One will be elected from the municipal council as the IBB President. This interim duty will continue until Ekrem's innocence is proven or he is released. Today, the long queues from all over Turkey, the images of those rushing in wheelchairs, and those climbing stairs with two canes show who is coming and who is going in this country. Ekrem President knows who set up this setup with high morale. Sooner or later, Ekrem İmamoğlu will emerge from that ballot box. They cannot change this.
"İMAMOĞLU IS ON THE WAY TO PRISON AND ALSO TO THE PRESIDENCY"
CHP leader Özel cast his vote in Saraçhane. While slogans of "pro-government media out" were shouted in the voting area, Özel had difficulty speaking. İmamoğlu noted; "This is the most contradictory act in the history of Turkish politics and world politics. While we are about to determine our candidate by achieving a first in Turkey; the judicial harassment against our candidate reached its peak, and just today, he was subjected to detention in a way that he would be arrested, and it was said in a manner akin to Italian mafia methods, 'if you run against me, I will have you arrested that day.'
In response, the CHP is not only with its members but also with the call it made by saying Solidarity Fund, which today is overflowing with ten times the number of our members in all of Istanbul. Solidarity funds across Turkey are attracting interest 10 to 15 times more than our member funds. Today, a coup attempt against a presidential candidate who will compete with a President is being thwarted by the people, who are crawling up the stairs with their canes at 104 years old to the ballot box; today, the freedom to determine the presidential candidate is being taken away from him by the judiciary and pressure, and the nation is pushing back this coup attempt with solidarity funds as if with bare hands. This is an incredibly important popular movement in terms of world political history. Ekrem İmamoğlu is currently on his way to prison, and on the other hand, he is on the way to the presidency. Despite those pushing him towards Silivri, the nation is bringing him closer to the Çankaya Mansion.
"OVER 10 MILLION SOLIDARITY VOTES"
Today, a significant portion of our 1 million 700 thousand members will vote, but it seems that a solidarity vote of over 10 million or approaching 10 million will open a completely different path for Ekrem İmamoğlu against those who try to block him. Each of our worker brothers who perform their duty, regardless of which organization they work for, is equally valuable to us. We do not allow expressions used with some emotionality here. The attitude of the institution, organization, or boss is different. The place of the press worker is above our heads. If there has been the slightest hurtful thing, I apologize on behalf of those here.
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