section_path: Reactions/Turkey/Opposition response
section_name: Opposition response
paragraph_text: Opposition response
  
  The Republican People's Party (CHP) criticized the charges against İmamoğlu as politically motivated, stating that the government aims to prevent him from running in the upcoming presidential elections.
  
  CHP leader Özgür Özel not only encouraged nationwide protests but also called for boycotts of products and services linked to companies perceived to be close to the ruling AK Party, a move President Erdoğan denounced as economic sabotage.
  
  On 2 April, Özel supported grassroots calls for a one-day shopping boycott. In a social media post, he wrote, “We all saw what state the junta alliance against us fell into in panic. Those who could not go out for years had to go out in a hurry and see the state of the poor nation.”
  
  Speaking to protestors in Istanbul, Özel stated, “They’ve detained hundreds of our children, thousands of our youths. They only had one goal in mind: to intimidate them … make sure they never go out again.”
  
  Dilek İmamoğlu, the mayor’s wife, stated in a podcast that her husband’s arrest was due to his repeated electoral success, claiming, “The real reason Ekrem İmamoğlu is in custody … because he’s already managed to thrash his opponents at the ballot box four different times.”