The opposition party in Turkey, led by the jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, has re-elected its leader in an effort to leverage widespread opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rule. Ozgur Ozel, a 50-year-old politician, was re-elected without any opposition with an overwhelming majority, according to the Anka News Agency, which is seen as being close to the opposition.

The CHP has taken a leading role in protests against Imamoglu’s imprisonment, which occurred due to allegations of corruption and terrorism. These demonstrations, which have attracted hundreds of thousands of people including students, have been largely peaceful, despite the detainment of nearly 2,000 individuals and the jailing of around 300 people.

Ozel pledged to continue the anti-Erdogan protests with weekly demonstrations in different cities and regular protests in Istanbul. The CHP organized an extraordinary congress after concerns were raised that Turkish authorities might appoint a trustee to run the party due to criminal investigations into alleged irregularities in their last summit two years ago.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/turkey-opposition-chp-reelects-leader-ozgur-ozel/a-72156887?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf