Istanbul, Turkey. Jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu told Reuters that President Tayyip Erdogan should call early elections now and said Erdogan would lose if he ran again.
Call for snap vote from prison
Imamoglu, 55, has been in prison since March 2025 pending trial on corruption charges that he denies. He responded to Reuters questions through his legal team from the prison at Silivri, west of Istanbul.
“We want early elections now. But the current president sees the coming defeat and shies away from elections,” Imamoglu said. “He will run and he will lose. And Turkey will be the winner,” he added.
Opposition role and crackdown allegations
Imamoglu has emerged in recent years as Erdogan’s main rival, with polls suggesting he could defeat Turkey’s leader of more than two decades if he is able to run. Imamoglu has defeated Erdogan’s ruling AK Party in three Istanbul elections.
He has been the focus of a crackdown on the main opposition party that rights groups and foreign observers say has undermined the democratic credentials of EU candidate and NATO member Turkey.
CHP position and election timeline
Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been calling for months for a snap vote. The party says that if elected it would restore rule-of-law governance, revive stalled EU accession talks, and pursue a more social-democratic economic model.
A presidential election is not scheduled until 2028, but if Erdogan, 71, wishes to seek a third term he is obliged to hold it early, unless constitutional term limits are changed.
Parliamentary requirements for early elections
Erdogan, who has led Turkey as prime minister or president since 2003, would need three-fifths of lawmakers to vote for holding early elections, meaning he would also need support from outside his governing alliance.
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