The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is scheduled to start a new round of rallies starting from May 4, in a bid to protest an ongoing crackdown on the opposition mayors, including Istanbul's Ekrem İmamoğlu, and push the government to go to early polls.
In a weekly address to his parliamentary group on April 28, CHP leader Özgür Özel continued his criticisms against the legal proceedings against the party's mayors, including Istanbul, Antalya, Adana, Bursa and others.
Currently, 20 CHP mayors are behind bars due to alleged fraud and corruption cases.
“Recent hearings have once again proven that all these cases are based on fabricated evidence and the testaments of secret witnesses. But almost all these secret witnesses have either withdrawn or changed their testaments,” Özel said.
These developments demonstrate that all these cases are politically motivated with the objective of preventing İmamoğlu’s bid to run for presidency in the next polls, Özel said. “This is clearly a coup committed against Türkiye’s next government,” he added.
Vowing that they will continue protesting the government, he informed that the party will rally on May 4 in 81 provinces of the country to declare their ultimate objective of winning the next elections.
His remarks came as the CHP has intensified its push for a by-election following renewed investigations. Under Turkish law, a by-election becomes mandatory if vacancies reach 5 percent of the total parliament, or 30 lawmakers. Currently, eight seats are vacant due to deaths and resignations.
