This file photo shows former mayor Ekrem Imamoglu speaking during a press event in Istanbul.
Ousted Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has announced his resignation from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) as Türkiye’s opposition faces a major realignment.
“We are opening a NEW path together to build a stronger, more democratic and more hopeful future for Türkiye. I invite you to be part of this journey, to grow hope together and to build the future together,” read a statement posted on Aug. 12 on İmamoğlu’s social media account.
İmamoğlu also shared links for supporting and joining the New Party, signaling his backing for the
political movement that has emerged from the CHP.
The suspended mayor has been held at Marmara Prison in Istanbul since March 2025 in a corruption case involving Istanbul Municipality. He was detained on the same day he was announced as the CHP’s presidential candidate for next elections.
Prosecutors accuse İmamoğlu of establishing and leading a criminal organization and seek his conviction on charges related to142 alleged acts. İmamoğlu denies all the allegations and has described the case as politically motivated. The mayor is also facing several other cases.
His resignation comes amid a broader split within the CHP. On July 24, then-CHP leader Özgür Özel, a close ally of İmamoğlu, left the party along with 90 lawmakers to establish the New Party, reshaping the opposition landscape.
Özel’s departure came two months after an Ankara court annulled the CHP’s 2023 leadership election over alleged irregularities, removing Özel as chair and reinstating former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
The parliament’s emergent main opposition New Party has said 232 mayors have so far resigned from the CHP and joined its ranks. More than 260 former lawmakers also collectively resigned from the CHP on July 27.
