Turkish authorities have detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Wednesday as part of corruption and terrorism investigations. The detention is also connected to around 100 others linked to the mayor, including his press adviser Murat Ongun.
The move came ahead of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) primary election scheduled for days later, where Imamoglu was expected to be chosen as its presidential candidate. CHP leader Ozgur Ozel called the detention “a coup attempt against our next president.”
Critics have denounced the detentions as politically motivated and part of an ongoing government crackdown on opposition following Erdogan’s major defeat in local and mayoral elections last year.
The Turkish lira plummeted over 10% after Imamoglu’s detention, spooking investors. Stock trading in Turkey got off to a rough start, with the main BIST 100 index falling 6.7% for the day.
Imamoglu is accused of being part of a criminal organization, extortion, bribery, and aggravated fraud. He is also under investigation for allegedly aiding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), which Turkey considers to be terrorist organizations.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that Imamoglu and around 100 others linked to him are accused of these crimes. However, his wife Dilek Imamoglu dismissed the accusations as “a huge slander,” saying they would eventually come out in the open.
This move by Turkish authorities has significant implications for the country’s politics, particularly ahead of the presidential election scheduled for 2028.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/19/europe/turkey-istanbul-mayor-detained-intl-hnk/index.html