Are the investigations and lawsuits against Ekrem İmamoğlu being carried out to force the CHP to agree with the AKP on constitutional amendments?
With the signatures of 116 deputies, Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu will run as the sole candidate for the Republican People's Party's (CHP) presidential nomination appeal poll to be held on March 23.
Imamoğlu, who will measure the support of the party members in the temayül poll to be held under the name of primary elections, is also trying to cope with 6 ongoing lawsuits and more than 50 investigations against him. Lastly, the investigation, which was initiated on the grounds that his transfer from the university in TRNC to Istanbul University, where he graduated, was irregular, started to follow a different course with the report of the Higher Education Council (YÖK) that there were irregularities.
At a press conference, İmamoğlu's lawyers Adem Sözüer and Mehmet Pehlivan argued that there is no problem with Ekrem İmamoğlu's transfer and diploma. However, the Imamoğlu front, which is expected to have undesirable legal consequences if the ‘diploma investigation’ turns into a lawsuit after the case known as the ‘idiot‘ case in which he was sentenced, states that the only way to remove the obstacles to his candidacy is for the CHP to say ’yes' to the formula that will pave the way for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's re-nomination.
The signal has arrived
Former AKP FMC Member Mücahit Birinci pointed to this possibility in his post about the investigation into Ekrem İmamoğlu's diploma.
First, “On the occasion of this investigation, as a jurist who sees the upcoming verdict, I have a recommendation for the CHP leadership” and made the following suggestion:
“You still have the opportunity to shake the constitutional hand extended to you by the government and include in a possible package an amendment that would reduce the qualification for presidential election to “high school graduation”. My advice to the CHP, “forgery” If they want to nominate Ekrem instead of defending him, they should take the path I recommend.”
And despite all this, do you want to nominate Ekrem, who will probably be a high school graduate?
On the occasion of this investigation, as a jurist who sees the upcoming verdict, I have a recommendation for the CHP leadership:
Shake the hand of the Constitution that the government extends to you, and be elected President...
- Mücahit Birinci (@birincimucahit) February 26, 2025
Journalist Ersoy Dede also drew attention to a similar scenario in his article on the World of Turkey website.
Grandfather, “Constitutional Amendment Saves Ekrem Imamoglu” In his article titled ‘Imamoğlu faces the danger of a political ban".
Ersoy Dede, pointing out that İmamoğlu will lose his qualification to run for the presidency if ‘irregularities’ are detected in the diploma investigation, argued that the requirement of university graduation for presidential candidacy is an unnecessary requirement and wrote as follows:
“The CHP does not have enough seats to eliminate this problem, so it will convince enough deputies to change the Constitution.
This is a culture of compromise. I don't know how he will convince the other parties. For example, since they call for early elections every day in the squares, it means that they want the nation to have a ballot box before 2028. Then, they can say, ’let's bring this issue to the agenda and set up the ballot box early and remove the requirement of having a university degree from the qualification to be elected president‘. The AK Party will support this, the CHP will support that and they will meet in the middle.’
The question now is: If the AKP proposes a constitutional amendment in this direction, will the CHP say ‘yes’?