Jailed Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu Joins New Opposition Party

Istanbul's imprisoned Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has announced his departure from the Republican People's Party (CHP) after 17 years to join the newly established Yeni Parti (New Party). İmamoğlu, a prominent political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, declared on Instagram that the new party will forge a "NEW path to build a stronger, more democratic and hopeful future for Turkey."

The Yeni Parti was founded in July by opposition leader Özgür Özel and 90 other deputies following a court's decision to remove Özel as the CHP chairman. İmamoğlu has been in pre-trial detention for over a year on corruption charges, which he denies. Opposition groups and human rights organizations have criticized the detention of hundreds of CHP members since 2024 as politically motivated, a claim the government rejects, emphasizing judicial independence.

İmamoğlu was elected as the CHP's presidential candidate just days after his arrest in March 2025. The Yeni Parti has quickly become the second-largest force in parliament, with polls suggesting it could attract a significant portion of CHP voters. The party aims to continue the political course set by the CHP, which was founded by Turkey's state founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The CHP had inflicted a significant defeat on Erdoğan's AKP party in the 2024 municipal elections, after which the opposition party has faced increasing scrutiny from the Turkish judiciary. İmamoğlu and dozens of other opposition mayors are currently imprisoned, and the Yeni Parti anticipates further repression, with a request to lift Özel's immunity already pending.

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Today we are opening a NEW path to build a stronger, more democratic and hopeful future for Turkey.