More Than 15,000 Signatures Collected in Support of Ekrem İmamoğlu in Northern Cyprus

Over the past weekend, preliminary elections were held in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to select a candidate for a possible early presidential election in Turkey from the Republican People's Party (CHP). The only candidate was Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, who was detained last week. In Northern Cyprus, over 15,000 signatures were collected in support of the opposition politician within just eight hours.

According to Mustafa Yürükkücü, the representative of the CHP in Northern Cyprus, more than 6,000 signatures were gathered in Nicosia, around 5,500 in Kyrenia, and more than 3,000 in Famagusta.

In Turkey, nearly 15 million people participated in the CHP primaries, with all of them supporting the detained mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, as the candidate for the likely early presidential elections.

Ekrem İmamoğlu is the sole candidate from the largest opposition party and is considered the main rival to Turkey’s current president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

For context, the politician, known for his opposition views, was detained on Wednesday, March 19. Following his arrest, large-scale protests erupted across the country. Massive rallies took place in Ankara, Istanbul, and other major cities.

Protests in support of the detained mayor were also held in Northern Cyprus.