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Istanbul mayor arrested days before likely presidential nomination Istanbul mayor arrested days before likely presidential nomination
(about 9 hours later)
Key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan detained a day after university invalidated his diploma, in move seen as politically motivated Ekrem İmamoğlu of CHP opposition party detained alongside 100 others accused of corruption and links to terror groups
Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, state-run media reported, as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and terror links. Turkish police have arrested the mayor of Istanbul, detaining the primary challenger to the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in dawn raids that also ensnared 100 politicians, businesspeople and municipal officials accused of corruption and links to terror groups.
The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that prosecutors also issued warrants for 100 other people. Authorities closed several roads around Istanbul and banned demonstrations in the city for four days in an apparent effort to prevent protests following the arrest. Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor, released a video statement as police gathered outside his residence in Istanbul, speaking to the camera as he put on a shirt and tie before his arrest. In a caption accompanying the video posted to social media, he wrote: “This is a blow to the will of the people.”
Imamoğlu posted a video on Wednesday morning apparently reacting to the move, with the caption “A blow to the will of the nation”. “Hundreds of police officers have arrived at my door. I entrust myself to the people. The police are raiding my home, knocking on my door,” he said.
Imamoğlu, 53, “was detained and is now at police headquarters” a press aide told Agence France-Presse. The aide did not have permission to speak to the media so asked not to be named. “I stand resolute, entrusting myself not only to the 16 million residents of Istanbul but to the 86 million citizens of Türkiye, and all who uphold democracy and justice worldwide,” he later added. “I stand firm in my fight for fundamental rights and freedoms.”
At the same time, Netblocks internet observatory said Turkey had restricted access to multiple social media platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. The Istanbul mayor was detained along with about 100 others, including his chief spokesperson, Murat Ongun, the head of the İmamoğlu construction firm, Tuncay Yılmaz, and the head of the Istanbul municipality sports club, Fatih Keleş, all accused of corruption, embezzlement and bribery.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is scheduled to hold a primary election on 23 March, at which Imamoğlu was expected to be chosen as its presidential candidate. The next presidential vote is scheduled for 2028, but early elections are likely. The Istanbul public prosecutor’s office added that İmamoğlu was charged as “the leader of a criminal organisation” accused of extortion, fraud and corruption.
“We are facing great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not be discouraged,” Imamoğlu said earlier on Wednesday in a video message posted on social media. He accused the government of “usurping the will” of the people. Prosecutors also accused İmamoğlu and at least six others including local officials of “aiding a terrorist organisation” in reference to the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK) armed group. The Istanbul prosecutor accused them of collaborating with a leftwing political coalition in the run-up to local elections that saw losses for Erdoğan’s party last year, thereby allegedly aiding the PKK. The jailed leader of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, announced late last month that the group would disarm and dissolve.
CHP’s chairman,Özgür Özel, denounced Imamoğlu’s detention as a “coup”. Long seen as the only candidate capable of presenting a serious challenge to Erdoğan’s 22 years in power, İmamoğlu had been taking part in primaries for the Republican People’s party (CHP) to choose the opposition’s candidate for the next presidential election. He was widely tipped to be declared as the opposition’s candidate in a vote expected this weekend.
“Currently, there is a power in place to prevent the nation from determining the next president,” he said. “We are facing an attempted coup against our next president.” The next presidential vote is scheduled for 2028, although observers anticipate early elections.
The arrest followed a search of Imamoğlu’s home on Tuesday, which came a day after a university invalidated his diploma, in effect disqualifying the popular opposition figure from running in the next presidential race. Having a university degree is a prerequisite for running in elections under Turkish law. İmamoğlu had previously faced a political ban after an Istanbul court convicted him of insulting election officials in 2022, charges that he appealed.
Istanbul University nullified Imamoğlu’s diploma, citing alleged irregularities in his 1990 transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus to its faculty of business administration. He called the university’s decision “illegal”, insisting it does not have the authority to cancel the diploma. The university’s move has been widely perceived as politically motivated. The night before hundreds of police arrived at his residence to arrest him, Istanbul University declared that it had annulled his diploma – effectively barring him from running for the presidency, as a university degree is a pre-requisite. İmamoğlu denounced the decision as “legally baseless”.
“The days when those who made this decision will be held accountable before history and justice are near. The march of our people, who are thirsty for justice, law, and democracy, cannot be stopped,” he wrote on X. Turkish police were out in force across Istanbul on Wednesday amid a four-day ban on public protests and meetings following İmamoğlu’s arrest, with major thoroughfares closed and some metro stations shuttered. A boulevard around the police station where İmamoğlu was taken into custody was locked down.
He later also suggested the decision was made under pressure from Erdoğan’s government and raised concerns about the judiciary’s independence. He said that he planned to challenge the decision. Despite the restrictions, thousands of students gathered to protest on the campus of Istanbul University before some clashed with riot police. Crowds of students then marched towards the mayoral headquarters, while a major union called on members to take to the streets near the police station where the mayor was detained.
“What will I do next? I will keep running like a lion. There’s no stepping back, I’ll run even harder,” Imamoğlu said. Internet access across Turkey was limited, while the internet freedom organisation Netblocks noted restricted access to social media platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok after the mayor’s detention.
Wolfango Piccoli, of the Teneo political risk advisory firm, said the diploma’s annulment indicates that Erdoğan recognises he cannot secure an election victory. Sign up to This is Europe
“The decision to revoke Imamoğlu’s diploma goes beyond merely undermining a fair electoral race by removing the strongest opponent,” Piccoli wrote in an emailed note. “It reflects the boldness and power to dictate what is real and what is not by controlling the state apparatus.” The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment
Imamoğlu has faced a series of legal challenges. In 2022, he was convicted of insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council in a case that could result in a political ban. He is appealing against his conviction. after newsletter promotion
He faces multiple other lawsuits, including allegations of trying to influence a judicial expert investigating opposition-led municipalities. The cases could result in prison sentences and a political ban. The head of the CHP, Özgür Özel, denounced İmamoğlu’s arrest as “a coup”. “There is currently a force in place to prevent the nation from determining the next president,” he said in a post on X. “We are faced with a coup attempt against our next president.”
He was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019 in a historic blow to Erdoğan and the president’s Justice and Development party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. The party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities. The justice minister, Yılmaz Tunç, dismissed any suggestion that the wave of arrests targeting İmamoğlu and 105 others was politically motivated.
The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoğlu also won. The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which his party made significant gains against Erdoğan’s governing party. “The rule of law is essential,” he said in a statement. “It is utterly dangerous and wrong to mischaracterise the investigations conducted by the independent and impartial judiciary or describe them using expressions such as coup d’état.”
The Istanbul mayor swept to power on a wave of popular support in 2019, before his initial victory was annulled by election officials after pressure from Erdoğan’s party. İmamoğlu won his seat again after a re-run of the vote, and secured a second term with a wide margin in local elections that marked a high point of opposition support last year.
Turkish authorities have arrested hundreds in a series of dawn raids in recent months, detaining politicians with the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality Democracy (DEM) party as well as journalists and academics. Authorities also unseated pro-Kurdish mayors from their posts in south-eastern cities, whittling away at the opposition’s victory last year, often replacing them with trustees loyal to the government.
Özel travelled to Istanbul and addressed a crowd that had gathered in front of Istanbul city hall, thanking the students and youth “who ignored the police barricades” and walked to the city hall to protest.
In reference to Erdoğan’s earliest foray into politics as the mayor of Istanbul in the late 1990s, Özel added: “He who wins Istanbul wins Turkey. He who loses Istanbul loses Turkey.”