The main Turkish opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) opened a presidential campaign office in Ankara for imprisoned Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, reported "Hurriyet Daily News", quoted by BTA.
The ceremony was held on Saturday in a former building of the CHP headquarters and was attended by the party's leader Özgür Özel, Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, İmamoğlu's wife Dilek İmamoğlu and supporters. The office bears the motto “Justice First, Freedom First, for Everyone, Everywhere“.
Imamoğlu was detained on March 19 as part of a corruption investigation and formally arrested on March 23 - the same day the HDP announced him as its presidential candidate for the upcoming elections. Since then, the party has been holding rallies calling for his release and early elections. Özel used today's opening event to renew those calls.
A letter from İmamoğlu was also read aloud at the opening.
“The office of a presidential candidate is above all an expression of our nation's commitment to the republic and democracy and our belief in the supremacy of the national will,“ said İmamoğlu. “This is not the office of a party or an individual, but of the nation. It belongs entirely to the entire nation! This will be a center where we will write history together with our nation.“
According to him, the election office aims to develop “radical and lasting solutions“ to the challenges facing Turkey through a democratic political approach.“
“Let everyone know very well that the only victory we seek is the victory of common sense and a sound conscience. The victory we seek is to save the nation from the situation it is in,“ he said. “We promise not just a change of person, a change of cadre or a change of program, but a major change in the way of thinking.“