Ozgur Özel, chairman of Turkey's opposition People's Republican Party (HDP), said that nearly 15 million citizens nominated the arrested mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, as the republic's presidential candidate during the primaries. During a speech in Istanbul, Özel also called on Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan to decide to hold early elections for the head of state and contest them against Imamoglu.

“On March 23, 1.653 million members of our party voted for the future president of our country, Ekrem Imamoglu. This is the strongest response to the current coup attempt. We also invited citizens to come to our solidarity boxes and vote. We received 13.21 million votes from them for the future President Ekrem. In total, more than 14.85 million votes were cast in his favor,” the CHP chief said.

Özel pointed out that “the results of the primaries have cast doubt on Erdoğan's legitimacy” and “made early elections inevitable.” “We challenge you from this square. If you do not release my candidate Imamoglu because of fear, we will all compete with you in the elections,” he said.

Imamoglu, who had been taken earlier to prison, addressed from there via X. “I would like to share with you the happy news from Silivri Prison. The primaries of our People's Republican Party saw a record level of participation. 15 million of our citizens voted. Erdogan was told, “Enough is enough.” When the ballot boxes are put out, the country will give this government an unforgettable slap in the face,” Imamoglu wrote on his page.