Özel to Çerçioğlu: “We will meet with those who do not bow to the tyrant”

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) has organized a major rally in Aydın under the slogan “Protecting the Nation’s Will”, aiming both to support the detained Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and to reiterate its call for early elections.

The choice of Aydın was politically significant, coming shortly after the city’s Metropolitan Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu resigned from CHP and joined the ruling AK Party, declaring: “From now on, I will serve more under the guidance of my President.”

Özel’s Defiant Message

CHP leader Özgür Özel announced the rally on social media, emphasizing a message of resistance and justice. He wrote: “We will meet with those who do not bow to the oppressor, who do not fear, and who do not submit. Until the short straw takes its right from the long one, until justice comes to these lands, we will not stop!”

İmamoğlu and Political Pressure

A striking banner featured in Özel’s video further underlined the rally’s main theme. It read: “Either be imprisoned, or join the AK Party,” echoing Özel’s earlier remarks following his visit to İmamoğlu. The slogan highlights the opposition’s claim that political pressure and imprisonment have become central issues in Türkiye’s political landscape.

Local Reactions in Aydın

The decision of Çerçioğlu to switch sides has sparked anger among local CHP supporters. A banner reading “Haram olsun” (“Shame on you”) was hung on the CHP provincial headquarters in protest, signaling deep frustration among the party base.

By holding the rally in Aydın, CHP aims not only to defend İmamoğlu but also to turn Çerçioğlu’s defection into a stage for political mobilization, seeking to galvanize its voter base while challenging the government narrative.