Istanbul mayor Imamoglu leaves CHP to join new opposition party

Ekrem Imamoglu, the detained mayor of Istanbul, declared on X that he is resigning from the Republican People's Party after a court decision stripped the party of its leadership. He confirmed his affiliation with the New Party, a fresh opposition group launched by Ozgur Ozel and other breakaway lawmakers, which now occupies the second-largest seat count in parliament. Imamoglu, who has been held for over a year on corruption charges he denies, described the shift as creating a new path toward a stronger and more hopeful Turkey.

The development follows a legal offensive that has seen hundreds of CHP officials arrested since 2024, a move the opposition labels politically motivated. While the government maintains the judiciary’s independence, analysts warn that the fragmentation of the opposition could ultimately benefit President Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the 2028 elections, which might be called early.