"We will defeat injustice": Turkiye opposition pushes for snap polls
Shafaq News/ Turkiye's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel reiterated his commitment to ongoing protests in support of imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and called for early parliamentary and presidential elections.
Speaking at an extraordinary party conference on Monday, Özel addressed the Turkish government, "If you have the courage, you will run in the early elections."
hinting that the elections could be scheduled for November, he warned, "We challenge you... We will save Turkiye once again."
Özel's remarks followed an earlier announcement of his party's campaign to demand the trial of İmamoğlu without detention and to push for early elections "as soon as possible."
In a separate interview with the opposition daily Sözcü, Özel revealed that CHP's goal in the next elections is to secure the same number of votes President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received in the previous election—approximately 27 million votes.
İmamoğlu, who has been detained over a controversial legal case, sent a message from his confinement, read by his party representatives at the conference. The message accused the government of trying to eliminate competition in the upcoming elections. "This government does not want a rival candidate, a rival party, or free and fair elections," İmamoğlu's message stated, adding, "No matter what they do, we will succeed. We will defeat injustice and oppression."
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