On Sunday, a Turkish court imprisoned the mayor of Istanbul pending the trial for corruption, according to the Anadolu news agency managed by the State, put aside a potential candidate in the next presidential election of Turkey and the first rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested on Wednesday at his home, four days before he was appointed presidential candidate for the political opposition of Turkey. He denied the accusations against him that Mr. Erdogan’s opponents called a ploy to prevent a popular politician from presenting himself to the presidency.
The court ordered that Mr. Imamoglu be imprisoned for accusations of corruption pending a trial, the information managed by the state said. State prosecutors accused him of leading a criminal organization and supervising corruption, submitting the rigging and other financial misdeeds at the Town Hall.
Prosecutors also accused him of supporting terrorism thanks to his political coordination with a pro-Kurdish group in local elections last year. The court has not yet ruled to find out if it will also be imprisoned for these accusations.
The decision to imprison Mr. Imamoglu, who has been elected mayor three times since 2019, has raised the possibility that he is dismissed from his functions.
The criticisms of Mr. Erdogan, who have dominated Turkish politics for more than two decades, the accused for a long time to use the power of the state to undermine his rivals. But, they say, arrest a presidential competitor to eliminate it from the race before the start represents a new level of authoritarianism.
Some European leaders have criticized the mayor’s arrest, which caused Turkey demonstrations, and they called on the Turkish government to respect the rule of law. Senior American officials have said little.
Steve Witkoff, the envoy of President Trump of the Middle East, made no mention of the mayor’s detention in a interview With the former presenter of Fox News Tucker Carlson Posted on X SATURDAY. But he said Trump had recently spoken with Mr. Erdogan. The call was not made public by the White House at the time.
“There are just a lot of good positive news that comes out of Turkey at the moment following this conversation,” said Witkoff, without providing more details.
Despite the detention of Mr. Imamoglu, the main opposition party of Turkey, the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, continued a primary on Sunday to officially designate him his presidential candidate. The members of the party voted across the country and the party called on non -partial members to also appear to vote symbolic to support the imprisoned mayor.
The current term of Mr. Erdogan, his second, expires in 2028. Although the Constitution limits the presidents to two complete mandates, he could legally run if the parliament provided for early elections, interrupting his second term.
Many people in Türkiye expect it to happen. If this is the case, it is possible that Mr. Imamoglu, 54, excluded from the race and could not challenge Mr. Erdogan, 71.
Mr. Imamoglu’s imprisonment could disrupt the administration of the largest city in Turkey. The city government employs more than 100,000 people and oversees a number of companies that build housing, lead public transport and carry out infrastructure projects.
Large protests against the detention of Mr. Imamoglu broke out every night in the cities of Turkey, despite the efforts of the government to arrest them. Public demonstrations have been prohibited in the three largest cities in the country, the social medial access has been limited and the main transit centers have been closed to hinder the capacity of the demonstrators to come together in public squares.
On Saturday, the Interior Ministry said that 343 people had been arrested during the protest, and the office of the Governor of Istanbul, appointed by Mr. Erdogan, said that travelers “likely to participate in illegal demonstrations” would be prevented from entering the city.
Safak Timur Contributed reports.
