The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamogloua prominent official of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), and a possible future leader of the Turkish opposition, announced today that he will run for a new term as the mayor of the Turkish metropolis in the municipal elections to be held next March.

“As I have said many times: whoever wins in Istanbul wins in Turkey,” Imamoglu told reporters.

Imamoglu was not chosen as opposition leader in May’s national election, but is seen as a key challenger to President Tayyip Erdogan in the coming years. He has called for a “total change” in the ranks of the CHP, following Erdogan’s victory against the opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the May elections.

Despite growing calls for his resignation, Kilicdaroglu remains the main opposition leader and has not made it clear whether he will run for the CHP presidency at the party’s congress in the fall.

Some analysts see Imamoglu as a possible successor.

“Today I start to defend Istanbul again, I start again for the great alliance of Istanbul,” Imamoglu stressed.

The CHP partnered with the centrist IYI Party and the pro-Kurdish HDP in the 2019 municipal elections to ensure Imamoglu’s victory in Istanbul, a shock result for Erdogan and the ruling AKP Justice Party.

IYI and HDP have not indicated whether they will support the CHP candidate again in the March 2024 municipal elections.