Turkish police have arrested Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the chief challenger to president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as part of a widespread crackdown on opposition figures.
Mr Imamoglu (53), who was arrested on Wednesday, has been charged with corruption and aiding a terrorist group.
He was set to be chosen on Sunday as the candidate of the secular Republican Turkish Party (CHP) for the 2028 presidential election, which is likely to be brought forward.
Mr Imamoglu was targeted along with 99 others, including journalists, politicians, and businessmen, as part of the investigation. The Istanbul prosecutor’s office said they are suspected of being involved in criminal activities related to certain tenders awarded by the municipality, as part of the first investigation.
It said a second investigation charged Mr Imamoglu and six others with aiding the PKK, which is deemed a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its western allies.
The Istanbul mayor posted an online video calling his arrest “a blow to the will of the nation” and said the Turkish people “cannot be silenced”. He promised to “stand resolute [for the people of Turkey] and all who uphold democracy and justice worldwide”.
He added: “We are facing great tyranny but I want you to know, I will not be discouraged.”
Coinciding with the arrests, access was restricted to social media outlets, including X, YouTube and Instagram, according to Netblocks internet observatory.
Mr Imamoglu’s detention sent Istanbul stocks down more than 5 per cent and sparked one of lira’s worst intraday plunges on record, before it settled at 38 to the dollar at noon Irish time on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Istanbul University revoked Mr Imamoglu’s diploma over his 1990 transfer from an unrecognised Turkish Cypriot college to the university’s business department. This was claimed to be a violation of transfer rules set by Turkey’s Higher Educational Council. The degrees of another 27 people were nullified at the same time.
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While legal experts argued there was no requirement for recognition by the council and the transfer was legal, the CHP said the move was politically motivated.
Candidates for the Turkish presidency are required to hold a degree. Mr Imamoglu said he planned to fight the university’s decision and suggested his exclusion was due to pressure from Mr Erdogan’s government.
His election as mayor of Istanbul was seen as a major defeat for Mr Erdogan and his fundamentalist Justice and Development party (AKP), which had controlled the city for 25 years.
After the AKP challenged the legitimacy of that election and demanded a rerun, Mr Imamoglu won by a larger margin.
In 2022, he was tried and convicted of insulting electoral officials and sentenced to more than two years in prison. While this would have banned him from politics, it has not been enacted as it must be confirmed by courts of appeals and the court of cassation.
The next election is set for 2028 but Mr Erdogan has reached his two-term limit as president after having earlier served as prime minister. If he wishes to run again, he must call an early election before his term ends, or change the constitution. – Additional reporting: Reuters.
