Özgür Özel puts an end to candidacy speculation

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel has put an end to the debates surrounding the presidential candidacy. Speaking to Nefes Gazetesi, Özel made statements regarding both the claims about his own candidacy and the potential presidential candidacy of Ekrem İmamoğlu.

Özel stated that it is not appropriate for him to be brought up as a candidate against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. "I am already against Erdoğan. He is the chairman of the AK Party, the second party. I am the chairman of the first party. My candidate right now is Ekrem İmamoğlu," he said.

"IF THEY DON'T MAKE AN ISSUE OF IMAMOĞLU'S DIPLOMA, OUR CANDIDATE IS READY"

Özel also addressed the debates regarding Ekrem İmamoğlu's presidential candidacy. Regarding the criticisms directed at İmamoğlu's diploma, he said, "If they leave my candidate's diploma alone, my candidate is ready. If not, if they try to block him through the diploma issue, the CHP will determine its candidate in the most participatory way and put forward a candidate who will defeat Erdoğan."

Firmly opposing the mention of his own name for the presidential candidacy, Özel stated, "I have had no claim or intention to be a presidential candidate since day one. The CHP's candidate will be strong enough to defeat Erdoğan."

Özel emphasized that the possibility of Ekrem İmamoğlu being in prison or the ongoing legal processes do not pose an obstacle to İmamoğlu's presidential candidacy. "Prison is not an obstacle to İmamoğlu's candidacy. He has not even received a political ban at the moment," said Özel, adding that the judicial process will be followed closely.

CHP leader Özel also made important statements regarding the ongoing judicial process concerning İmamoğlu's diploma case. He expressed uncertainty about how İmamoğlu's candidacy would be blocked if a stay of execution were to be issued during the judicial process. "There is such a blatant, major injustice. We are following the judicial processes carefully," he said.

Özel also expressed that Ekrem İmamoğlu's candidacy in a potential election in 2026 is not a distant possibility. "Looking at the current picture, Ekrem İmamoğlu's candidacy in an election to be held in 2026 does not seem like a very distant possibility to me," he said.