09.02.2025 23:40
In the CHP, the party leader Özgür Özel met with Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş before the Party Assembly meeting, where the decision to determine the presidential candidate through a primary election will be finalized. After the meeting, Özel conveyed the message, "We are together. We will always be together, and we will win together."
While discussions about early elections continue, the main agenda in the CHP is the 'determination of the presidential candidate' and the upcoming 'primary election'.
ÖZEL-İMAMOĞLU-YAVAŞ SUMMIT
After the decision for the primary election, all eyes are on the Party Assembly (PM) meeting to be held tomorrow (February 10). Today, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel met with Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş in Ankara. In the meeting that started at 20:00 and lasted about 3 hours, the primary election process, candidate determination, and the timeline of the process were discussed.
ÖZEL: WE WILL WIN TOGETHER
After the tripartite summit, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel made a post on his social media account regarding the meeting. Sharing a snapshot from the meeting, Özel stated, "We are together. We will be together. We will win together. Turkey will win..."
ROADMAP TO BE DETERMINED
Tomorrow, at 12:00, the agenda of the PM at the party headquarters will also be early election strategies. The roadmap for the primary election will be determined at the PM. According to the directive work led by Gül Çiftçi, the party's MYK member responsible for Election and Legal Affairs, approximately 1 million 600 thousand members will cast their votes at ballot boxes to be set up in district centers instead of digital platforms. To be a candidate, there will also be a requirement to collect a certain number of signatures. Just like in elections conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Election Council, sealed ballots and envelopes will be used. The entire process is expected to be completed within a 30-35 day timeline, while all these details will be discussed at the PM and the directive will be voted on.
CANDIDACY DISCUSSION IN CHP
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel explained how the presidential candidate would be determined at the party's group meeting on January 28. Stating that they will be in the field with the organization in February and March, Özel emphasized that this process will be shaped by CHP members and made the following call: "Everyone who is a member of the party will cast their vote to determine the president. If you are ready to determine the next president, we are waiting for you all at the family hearth. We will succeed together. We will succeed."
İMAMOĞLU: IT WILL BE A PROCESS THAT ALL OF US WILL COMPLETE WITH THE SAME EXCITEMENT AS THE FIRST DAY
The party's decision to determine the presidential candidate through a primary election has sparked debate. Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu released a video regarding the issue, stating, "This process will also unite Turkey's democratic opposition. It will be a process that no one will lose, regardless of the outcome, and that all of us will complete with the same excitement as the first day." İmamoğlu emphasized that the primary election process will contribute not only to the CHP but to all opposition.
YAVAŞ: IT'S TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE A CANDIDATE
Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş stated, "It's too early to determine a candidate. The election date is not clear, and until then, conditions in Turkey may change." Yavaş, in a statement, also declined to answer questions from journalists regarding the primary election, saying, "I think they are deliberately discussing the candidacy issue."