Supporters of main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) attend a rally to protest against the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, on September 3, 2025. [Umit Bektas/Reuters]
Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on Wednesday he was joining the newly formed New Party, after a court order removed the leadership of his former Republican People’s Party (CHP) amid an unprecedented legal crackdown on the opposition.
Last month, Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel and 90 other breakaway lawmakers launched a new political party, seeking to regroup to challenge President Tayyip Erdogan after a court ousted Ozel as CHP chairman and reinstated the party’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, Erdogan’s main political rival, has been jailed for more than a year pending trial on corruption charges that he denies.
