Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu is said to be due for a meeting with the Republican People's Party’s (CHP) ex-leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu this week as rumors swirl that Türkiye’s main opposition is locked in a power struggle, with current chair Özgür Özel on the other end.

Imamoğlu on Monday confirmed his meeting with Kılıçdaroğlu to "discuss the CHP’s intraparty issues" but refrained from naming a set date, saying it could be "this week or the next."

"I only want to have a meeting with our former chair, devoid of misunderstandings and reflecting our sincere relationship," the mayor told reporters.

After losing a six-party opposition bloc’s presidential bid to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in last year’s May election, Kılıçdaroğlu gave the CHP’s reins for the first time in 13 years to Özel in a November intraparty election. He had been subject to relentless criticism for successive election losses and failing policies during his reign.

Özel, who pushed for change at the secularist party with Imamoğlu’s help, has led his party to victory in the March 31 local elections, breaking the CHP’s historic ceiling of 25% support nationwide and marking its first first-place success in 47 years.

Imamoğlu himself retained the coveted mayoral post of Istanbul, Türkiye’s cultural and financial powerhouse of 16 million. Before Kılıçdaroğlu was nominated, Imamoğlu’s name had circulated as a presidential challenger last year. He is now seen as the opposition’s top presidential contender in the 2028 national election.

Özel also held two in-person meetings with Erdoğan, one in May, a first since 2016 for a CHP leader, and hosted Erdoğan at the CHP headquarters earlier in June, and the sides have been hailing a "softening" period in Turkish politics since.

Kılıçdaroğlu, however, has repeatedly claimed he had been "backstabbed" with the party’s change movement last year and that he was "not pleased with where the CHP is headed" today.

He is said to be "shadow-boxing" by accusing Özel of "not being oppositional enough" in the postelection era.

Imamoğlu must consider he’s clearing the way for all known debates by meeting Kılıçdaroğlu, Turkish reports said, alleging that the pair was ultimately aiming to topple Özel.

Critics have argued Kılıçdaroğlu is aiming to "muddy the waters" at the CHP, to whose election success he didn’t get to contribute, because he’s taking CHP votes for granted instead of setting up a party of his own.