Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu returned as interim leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) earlier this year after a court annulled the 2023 leadership election that had removed him — and he says jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is not a political prisoner, while leaving the door open to supporting an İmamoğlu presidential bid. In an exclusive interview with Euronews at CHP headquarters in Ankara, Kılıçdaroğlu defended his court-ordered return, acknowledged the party split would cost the CHP votes and called for Turkey to lead a new regional peace organisation. İmamoğlu was arrested in March 2025 on corruption charges, triggering Turkey's largest street protests in more than a decade.
His supporters say the charges are politically motivated, noting his status as Erdoğan's most credible electoral rival. His 2019 victory ended 25 years of AKP and other rule in Istanbul and his re-election in 2024 reinforced that standing. The government has rejected accusations of political interference.
Kılıçdaroğlu said İmamoğlu's potential candidacy for the presidency did not make the corruption case political. "Being a presidential candidate is one thing. These cases are another," he said, noting that he had voted for İmamoğlu in the CHP's own presidential primary.
But Kılıçdaroğlu said İmamoğlu should not have been detained while awaiting trial. "He can stand trial, but I did not think it was right to detain him. I still hold that view today." A separate legal complication arose when Istanbul University annulled İmamoğlu's degree in March 2025, raising questions about his presidential eligibility — Turkey's constitution requires candidates to have completed higher education.
İmamoğlu has since joined Yeni Parti, the breakaway political group led by his ally Özgür Özel. Asked whether he would back an İmamoğlu presidential bid if those legal obstacles were resolved, Kılıçdaroğlu did not give an unconditional endorsement but said talks would be needed and stressed that opposition unity was a mathematical necessity. How can you get it without working together?" he said.
"There is no place for grudges, anger or hostility in politics." The CHP was founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923 as the party of the Turkish republic and its founding secular ideology, known as Kemalism. It governed Turkey without interruption until 1950 and remains the main vehicle for secular, centre-left politics. It draws its core support from western Turkey's urban and coastal populations, civil servants, professionals and voters who prioritise secularism and EU integration.
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