Istanbul mayor announces his candidacy for CHP presidential primaries
ANKARA
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has made an official application to run in the primaries for the election of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) presidential candidate slated for March 23.
İmamoğlu delivered the necessary documents to the CHP on Feb. 21 through his lawyer, his office said in a statement.
Any party member who fulfills the criteria set by the party applies to run in the primaries if he or she can garner the support of at least 20 CHP lawmakers.
Some 1.6 million CHP members are eligible to vote for the primaries to be held on March 23 if they are registered by Feb. 28.
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş have already announced that they will not run for the primaries. Özel had already underlined that he wouldn’t run for the presidency in the next elections.
Many CHP officials backed selecting the presidential candidate as soon as possible after prosecutors opened investigations against İmamoğlu. Selecting İmamoğlu as the candidate will protect him from further legal prosecutions and sentencing, the party officials believe.
He is set to stand trial on April 11, facing up to seven years and four months in prison over his statements made against Istanbul's chief public prosecutor Akın Gürlek.
Accepted by an Istanbul court on Feb. 12, the indictment stems from remarks İmamoğlu made at a panel on Jan. 20. During his speech, İmamoğlu criticized Gürlek over legal actions against CHP youth branch leader Cem Aydın.
Prosecutors argue that his statements could create fear in the prosecutor and constitute a threat, charging İmamoğlu with “targeting people who took part in the fight against terrorism.”
In addition to potential prison time, the indictment calls for İmamoğlu to be barred from holding public office as a consequence of his conviction.
