Ankara, Turkey – The party of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu reelected its leader on Sunday, as it seeks to capitalise on mass opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rule.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) picked Ozgur Ozel as chairman at an extraordinary party congress in Ankara.

The 50-year-old Ozel was reelected by an overwhelming majority of 1,171 of 1,276 ballots cast, reported the Anka News Agency, which is considered to be close to the opposition.

Ozel did not face a challenger.

Protests against Imamoglu’s jailing

The CHP has led anti-government protests that have swept Turkey since Imamoglu was arrested, removed from office and jailed on corruption and terrorism allegations last month. Seven other CHP mayors have also been arrested and dismissed.

The demonstrations have drawn hundreds of thousands of people, including large groups of students.

Although largely peaceful, the government has cracked down on the protests. Almost 2,000 people have been detained and around 300 of them were jailed pending trial.

The CHP says the Turkish government has trumped up the charges against Imamoglu, who is seen as Erdogan’s main challenger in the country’s next election, scheduled for 2028.

Some polls suggest that Imamoglu has more public support than longtime president Erdogan, who must get parliament’s support for an earlier election if he wants to run again.

Ozel promises further protests

The CHP called Sunday’s extraordinary congress after concerns that Turkish authorities would appoint a trustee to run the party following a criminal investigation into alleged irregularities around its last summit two years ago.

After his reelection, Ozel vowed at a nearby rally that the party would stage a fresh protest against Imamoglu’s jailing in a different city every weekend, as well as regular demonstrations in Istanbul.

He said that more than seven million people have signed the CHP’s petition demanding an early election.

Last month, the party picked Imamoglu as the CHP’s presidential candidate in an internal vote. with nearly 15mn people endorsing his candidacy, according to party officials.

Erdogan has been accused by rights groups and the West of backsliding on democracy and consolidating his power since he first took office in 2003.

Dozens of prominent opposition figures have been arrested, the Turkish media muzzled and concerns have been raised over the lack of judicial independence.

Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was trounced in last year’s municipal elections when the CHP retained control over key cities like Istanbul and Ankara while also making huge gains elsewhere.

DW