section_path: Mayor of Istanbul (2019–present)/2023 presidential elections
section_name: 2023 presidential elections
paragraph_text: 2023 presidential elections
  
  For the 2023 Turkish presidential elections, leader of the CHP, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu declared his candidacy. Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mansur Yavaş and the leaders of five parties in the Nation Alliance were named as vice-president candidates.
  
  On 7 May, Ekrem İmamoğlu was attacked during a pro-Kılıçdaroğlu rally in Erzurum. His rally was interrupted, and stones were thrown by a mob of roughly 200 people, who attacked both the people gathered for the rally and İmamoğlu. İmamoğlu said at least 9 people from the rally crowd were wounded by the stones that were thrown by the attackers. Later it was reported that 17 people were severely wounded and taken to the hospital. Government officials and members of the leading party praised the attackers and blamed İmamoğlu for hosting the rally in Erzurum.
  
  Following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's victory in the presidential runoff election on 28 May 2023, İmamoğlu called for significant changes inside the major opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
  
  During a press conference on 7 June, İmamoğlu obliquely challenged CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, claiming that cosmetic changes, such as dissolving and renewing the party's central management committee, would be insufficient to accomplish true transformation.
  
  On 28 July, he wrote a letter to the newspaper Oksijen explaining what he meant by "change within his party." His letter came one day after he stated that society demanded that the CHP's leadership and administration be changed. In a comprehensive letter, İmamoğlu stated that present political party structures "do not meet the needs of Turkey."