The Istanbul Civil Magistrate Court arrested the mayor of the megacity, Ekrem Imamoglu, on March 23. The measure of restraint was chosen as part of the proceedings on the falsification of tenders, the collection of personal data, bribery and the creation of a criminal organization. As part of the charges of collaboration with terrorists, the court ruled on administrative control. This means that the authorities will not be able to appoint an external representative to the post of mayor. But Imamoglu is deprived of the chance to run for president from his party.
The decision to arrest Imamoglu, the main opponent of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was made on March 23. The Istanbul mayor, representing the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the second largest force in parliament, was accused of “falsifying tenders, collecting personal data, bribery and creating a criminal organization.”
In the second case, which concerns alleged collusion with the leftist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the court appointed Imamoglu to administrative control. This means that the provisions of the national anti-terrorism legislation should not be applied to the oppositionist.
However, Imamoglu is removed from the post of mayor. The authorities will not be able to appoint an external representative to his position, as has often happened in Turkey with opposition politicians in charge of cities and municipalities. Nuri Aslan, Imamoglu’s acting deputy, will be acting Istanbul mayor for the time being.
The prosecutor’s office announced that it intends to appeal the court’s decision on charges of Imamoglu in connection with terrorism. She probably wants to seek tougher measures against the opposition leader.
Shortly before the court hearing, Turkish TV channels stopped live broadcasts from the venues of the demonstrations in Istanbul and other cities of Turkey. This decision was made after an official warning from the Supreme Council on Radio and Television.
Street actions in major cities of Turkey started long before the start of the trial of Imamoglu. Police special forces in Istanbul and Ankara had to use force to oust groups of demonstrators from critical streets and prevent other opposition supporters from joining the protests. The use of pepper gas and water cannons was reported in certain areas of Istanbul and Ankara.
It was on March 23 that the CHP organized the preliminary elections of its presidential candidate, who should compete with Erdogan in 2028. Voting was organized in all Turkish provinces.
CHP Chairman Ozgur Ozel specially arrived at the Istanbul Justice Palace on Sunday along with the wife of the detained mayor Dilek Imamoglu to await the verdict. In his first statement on this issue, Ozel noted the importance of the fact that the country’s leadership will not yet be able to introduce an external manager to the metropolis. “The morale of the mayor of Ekrem is extremely high,” he said.
After the court session, an entry appeared on Imamoglu’s social media page calling on supporters to support the protest and cast their vote in the primaries. “Turkey has experienced a great betrayal,” the Istanbul mayor said in a statement. – The trial is not a trial, it is an extrajudicial execution. I urge our nation to fight responsibly for its rights. This is a question of the future of our nation and our children.”
On Saturday alone, on the eve of the court session, about a million protesters gathered near the Istanbul City Hall, according to estimates by the RNP. The party intends to use popular support to influence the position of the authorities, who have decided to use administrative resources to limit Imamoglu’s political opportunities and clear the competitive field.
The Turkish authorities are hostile to the calls of the leadership of the CHP for citizens to take to the streets to protest the arrest of Imamoglu. The Ministry of Justice and the Interior Ministry have already called calls for mass protests risky from the point of view of public peace. Erdogan himself managed to speak on this issue. “We will not allow violations of public order. We will not succumb to vandalism or street terrorism,” the head of state said. He called on Ozgur Ozel to “act responsibly and not provoke young people” to demonstrate. “The CHP will soon lose its status as a legitimate party due to growing corruption, problematic rhetoric and ties with marginal groups,” the Turkish leader stressed.
But the country’s leadership cannot hide its fears that the situation surrounding the arrest of Erdogan’s political opponent may have a qualitative impact on Turkey’s economic performance. On March 23, the leadership of the Central Bank of Turkey convened a meeting with the heads of key national banks. The main topic was potential measures to stabilize the Turkish lira, which began to collapse sharply the day after Imamoglu’s detention. According to the Haberturk TV channel, in just three days, the Central Bank of Turkey had to sell $26 billion in order to save the national currency. But it is quite obvious that these measures are not enough.
Speaking the other day on the occasion of Nowruz, the New Year according to the solar calendar, Erdogan said that Turkey would soon get rid of the burden of terrorism forever, which, according to him, would open a new page in the country’s history. It was this problem, as it followed from the speech of the Turkish leader, that became the main factor that weakened the national economy.
