Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu Joins New Party

Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu resigned from the Republican People's Party on Wednesday to join the New Party. Imamoglu, a primary political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been imprisoned for over a year on corruption charges he denies.

This move follows a period of legal instability within the opposition. A court order recently removed Republican People's Party leader Ozgur Ozel and reinstated former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. In response, Ozel and 90 breakaway lawmakers launched the New Party last month to challenge Erdogan's leadership.

The New Party has quickly become the second-largest party in parliament and is expected to attract the majority of former Republican People's Party voters. However, the fragmentation of the opposition may strengthen Erdogan's position ahead of the next elections, which are scheduled for 2028 or potentially earlier.