Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu joins newly formed New Party
Ekrem Imamoglu said he was leaving the CHP to join the New Party after a court removed his former party’s leadership.
Istanbul, Turkey. Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on Wednesday that he was joining the newly formed New Party after a court order removed the leadership of his former Republican People’s Party (CHP) amid a legal crackdown on the opposition.
Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, said he was resigning after 17 years of CHP membership.
New party formation
Last month, Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel and 90 other breakaway lawmakers launched the New Party, seeking to regroup and challenge Erdogan after a court ousted Ozel as CHP chairman and reinstated the CHP’s divisive former leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
“I am resigning from my 17-year membership of the Republican People’s Party. This decision is a result of the values I believe regarding the future of our country and the responsibility I carry towards our people,” Imamoglu said in a statement on X.
“Today, we are opening a NEW path to build a stronger, more democratic and more hopeful future for Turkey,” he said, referring to the New Party.
Imamoglu’s detention and candidacy
Imamoglu has been jailed for more than a year pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies.
He was elected as the CHP’s presidential candidate in an internal party vote days after his detention in March 2025. Istanbul University annulled his university diploma, a requirement for presidential candidates, a day before he was detained.
Political outlook
The New Party, already the second-largest party in parliament, is expected to attract most CHP voters and pose a new challenge to Erdogan.
However, the broader splintering of the opposition could boost the president’s prospects of extending his 23-year rule in the NATO-member country and regional military power. The next elections are scheduled for 2028 but could be held earlier.
The opposition and some rights groups have described the crackdown, including the jailing of hundreds of elected CHP officials and members since 2024, as politically motivated and undemocratic. The government denies this and says the judiciary is independent.
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