The leader of the largest opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Özgür Özel, announced a plan for the party's action in the event of the possible extension of the arrest of former Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the „Birgün“ newspaper reported.
According to Özel's plan, if Imamoglu remains in custody or is banned from political activity, „the elections in Turkey will become a referendum on whether to release or keep Imamoglu in prison“.
„If Imamoglu remains in custody, the CHP will win the elections with 70 percent of the vote and will receive a majority to initiate constitutional changes. "This will begin the preparations for strengthening the parliamentary system," Özel said, stressing that in such a development, "Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş will be elected president and Imamoğlu will be appointed prime minister."
On April 16, 2017, the Turkish people voted in a referendum for constitutional changes that significantly increased the powers of the president and paved the way for the transition from a parliamentary to a presidential system of government. In June of the following year, Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the first elections under the new system and on July 9, 2018, he was sworn in to parliament, officially transitioning Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system of government. This concentrated great powers in his hands and made him the sole holder of executive power. The post of Prime Minister was abolished in the transition.
Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained on March 19, and on March 23, a court ordered him to remain in custody on corruption charges in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. His arrest sparked mass protests in major cities in Turkey, which resulted in clashes with police and hundreds of people being detained. At the same time, İmamoğlu was designated as the presidential candidate of the HDP, despite being in custody.
The country's regular presidential elections are due to take place in 2028, but the opposition is demanding early elections.