site.btaTurkish Opposition Leader Ozel Calls for Early Elections at Thousands-Strong Rally in Antalya

Turkiye's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) held another protest rally under the slogan "The People Defend Their Will" in Antalya, the ANKA news agency reported. According to the media outlets close to the opposition, Sozcu and Halk TV, around 100,000 people attended the rally in Antalya.

Sunday's rally in Antalya's Kepez municipality was the ninth in a series of protests the CHP has organised since March 19 in support of detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as well as other municipal mayors in various cities and municipalities across the country.

Imamoglu was arrested on March 19, along with several other CHP members, on corruption charges. A court extended his detention on March 23, and shortly thereafter, the Istanbul Municipal Council voted to remove him from office, appointing Nuri Aslan as interim mayor. Imamoglu's arrest has sparked nationwide protests, some of which escalated into clashes with police and led to further detentions. Despite his incarceration, Imamoglu has been formally named as the CHP's presidential candidate. The opposition has launched a petition demanding his immediate release and the calling of early presidential elections, ahead of the scheduled 2028 vote.

Slogans were raised at Sunday's protest demanding justice and freedom for Imamoglu and the imprisoned municipal mayors, as well as opposition leaders Umit Ozdag and Selahattin Demirtas.

A letter from Imamoglu was read out at the rally, stating that the detainees "will not back down in the face of conspiracies and oppression, that they will defend the right to democracy and justice to the end".

In his speech to the gathering, Ozel called on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to call early elections. More than 15 million signatures have been collected in support of the opposition's presidential candidate Imamoglu, Ozel said.