Turkish police detain Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who may be presidential candidate

Turkish authorities on Wednesday detained President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rivals, including corruption and helping terrorist groups, which the main opposition parties called “a coup against our next president.”

The move against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu appears to have carried out a nationwide legal crackdown on opposition figures, which opponents say is a politicized attempt to disagree.

Erdogan’s government denied the criticism and said the judiciary was independent. Meanwhile, the urgent Workers’ Party of Kurdish (PKK) ended decades of rebellion after leaders sentenced to jail last month called for disarmament.

Imamoglu, 54, headed Erdogan in certain opinion polls, faces two separate investigations, including allegations of leading criminal organizations, bribery and bidding manipulation. TV footage showed him repairing his tie and preparing to leave his home for detention Wednesday morning.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), who was eliminated for two years in a few days, was named Erdogan by its official presidential challenger, who has been in Turkey for two decades.

The next election is scheduled for 2028, but Erdogan has reached his two-year limit after he served as prime minister. The 2018 referendum on the new constitution paved the way for him to last for so long.

Social media is restricted

Authorities closed several roads around Istanbul and banned demonstrations in the city for four days in a clear effort to prevent post-arresistance protests. Türkiye also restricts access to social media platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok, the Internet Observatory said.

The main index of the Istanbul Stock Exchange fell 7% in the news of the arrest, triggering a temporary cessation of trading to prevent panic sales and stabilize the market. The Turkish Lira lost about 7% of its value, violating the dollar.

Erdogan faced his worst election defeat last year when Imamoglu’s CHP swept through major Turkey cities and defeated his ruling AK party in the former strongholds of municipal elections across the country.

In the video he shared on social media, Imamogru said he would not give up and face the pressure.

“We are facing great tyranny, but I hope you know I’m not discouraged,” Imamoglu said.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel called the detention a coup attempt and called on all opposition groups to unite. He added that the party will continue to move forward and choose Imamoglu as leader on Sunday.

“Türkiye is opposing the next president’s coup. We are facing a coup here,” he said.

Human Rights Watch called the allegations against the mayor “political motivation and falsehood” and said it must be released immediately.

Erdogan’s office did not immediately comment when asked about claiming detention was a political move.

Dozens of other people were detained

A total of 100 people, including journalists and businessmen, were detained, allegedly involved in criminal activities related to certain tenders granted by the city, according to a statement from the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office on the first investigation.

It said the second investigation accused Imamoglu and six other people of assistance from the Workers’ Party of Kurdish (PKK) by Türkiye and its Western allies as terrorist groups.

Last month, the Workers’ Party of Kurdish (PKK) announced a ceasefire in response to a call for disarmament by jail-senteemed leader Abdullah Ocalan, marking an important step toward an end to the insurgency, which killed more than 40,000 people, which could have regional security and political consequences.

Imamoglu’s detention was the day after Istanbul University abolished Imamoglu’s degree and would prevent him from participating in the presidential election if he insisted.

In 2019, after the ruling party raised the first vote challenge for suspected violations, Imamoglu was forced to repeat the mayor, and Turkey’s election commission revoked Imamoglu’s mission 18 days later. Many voters were angry and he won the second vote.

The expanded legal crackdown included many indictments and appointed several government trustees to municipal positions controlled by the opposition. As part of this, Nationalist Party leader Umit Ozdag has been in custody since January.

Turkish police arrested thousands of civil servants, politicians, military members, and even in their own police ranks after a coup in 2016 attempt to overthrow Erdogan.