The mayor of Istanbul was jailed pending his trial on corruption expenses and faraway from workplace on Sunday, hobbling a possible contender in Turkey’s subsequent presidential election and the highest rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested at his house on Wednesday, 4 days earlier than he was set to be named the presidential candidate of Turkey’s political opposition. He has denied the accusations towards him, which Mr. Erdogan’s opponents have referred to as a ploy to hinder a preferred politician’s presidential bid.
The court docket ordered that Mr. Imamoglu be jailed on accusations of corruption pending a trial. State prosecutors have accused him of main a felony group and overseeing bribery, bid rigging and different monetary misdeeds at Metropolis Corridor.
Prosecutors additionally accused him of supporting terrorism by his political coordination with a pro-Kurdish group throughout native elections final 12 months. The court docket selected to not order his detention on these expenses, however mentioned he’s underneath grave suspicion.
On Sunday afternoon, the Inside Ministry eliminated Mr. Imamoglu from workplace.
Detention alone could not forestall him from operating for president, however he faces different roadblocks. The day earlier than his arrest, his alma mater, Istanbul College, voided his diploma, citing improper procedures in his switch to the varsity in 1990. Turkey’s Structure stipulates that the president should have accomplished increased training. The mayor mentioned earlier than he was detained that he would contest the ruling.
Mr. Imamoglu, who has been elected mayor 3 times since 2019, faces a slew of different court docket instances as effectively, together with some that might quickly bar him from politics.
In a publish on X, the mayor referred to as on Turks to face collectively towards “this black stain on our democracy.”
Of his detention, he mentioned: “I stand tall. I’ll by no means bow.”
Critics of Mr. Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for greater than 20 years, have lengthy accused him of utilizing state energy to undermine his rivals. However, they are saying, arresting a presidential contender to undermine him within the race earlier than it begins represents a brand new stage of authoritarianism. His arrest has prompted the biggest road protests in Turkey in additional than a decade, with extra ,
Some European leaders have criticized the mayor’s arrest, and so they have referred to as on the Turkish authorities to uphold the rule of legislation. Senior U.S. officers have mentioned little.
Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Center East envoy, made no point out of the mayor’s detention in an interview with the previous Fox Information anchor Tucker Carlson that was posted on X on Saturday. However he mentioned that Mr. Trump had just lately spoken with Mr. Erdogan. The decision was not made public by the White Home on the time.
“There may be simply a number of good, constructive information popping out of Turkey proper now because of that dialog,” Mr. Witkoff mentioned, with out offering additional particulars.
The court docket additionally jailed dozens of different folks, in response to the state-run Anadolu information company, together with a number of of Mr. Imamoglu’s associates. A minimum of 4 of his shut aides had been jailed on corruption expenses and two others for supporting terrorism, the state-run information media reported.
Two Istanbul district mayors had been additionally jailed and faraway from their posts, bringing the full eliminated by the federal government in current months to 5. All the ousted mayors are from Mr. Imamoglu’s social gathering, which gained 26 of Istanbul’s 39 districts in native elections final 12 months.
Regardless of Mr. Imamoglu’s detention, Turkey’s primary opposition social gathering, the Republican Individuals’s Get together, or C.H.P., went forward with a main on Sunday to designate him its presidential candidate. Get together members voted across the nation, and the social gathering referred to as on nonparty members to prove as effectively to solid symbolic ballots to assist the jailed mayor.
At one polling station in a neighborhood that Mr. Erdogan’s social gathering gained in native elections final 12 months, about 20 folks stood in line to solid symbolic votes for Mr. Imamoglu.
“I’m right here for our freedom. I’m right here for my kids,” mentioned Hilal Dukmeler, a 26-year-old nurse. “If we maintain silent on this one, our republic is not going to survive.”
She mentioned Mr. Erdogan’s social gathering had failed to supply companies and thought of Mr. Imamoglu a menace.
“That is present of energy of the federal government,” she mentioned. “They realized that Imamoglu has the ability too and so they tried to beat him.”
Mr. Erdogan’s present presidential time period, his second, expires in 2028. Whereas the Structure limits presidents to 2 full phrases, he may legally run once more if Parliament referred to as for early elections, reducing quick his second mandate.
Many individuals in Turkey anticipate that to occur. If it does, it’s potential that Mr. Imamoglu, 54, could possibly be barred from the race. Mr. Erdogan, 71, has not mentioned whether or not he would run, however he has no clear successor and many individuals in Turkey anticipate him to hunt one other time period.
The elimination of Mr. Imamoglu may disrupt the administration of Turkey’s largest metropolis. Town authorities employs greater than 100,000 folks and oversees a variety of firms that construct housing, run public transportation and perform infrastructure tasks.
Massive protests towards Mr. Imamoglu’s detention have damaged out nightly in cities throughout Turkey and extra had been deliberate for Sunday, regardless of the federal government’s efforts to cease them. Public demonstrations have been banned within the nation’s three largest cities, social medial entry has been restricted and main transit hubs have been closed to hamper the power of protesters to assemble in public squares.
On Saturday, the Inside Ministry mentioned that 343 folks had been arrested whereas protesting, and the workplace of Istanbul’s governor, who’s appointed by Mr. Erdogan, mentioned vacationers “more likely to take part in illegal protests” could be prevented from coming into the town.
Gulsin Harman contributed reporting.