Turkish opposition politician Ekrem Imamoğlu has been temporarily removed from his post as Istanbul’s mayor, the country’s interior ministry announced. This decision was made in the context of corruption investigations against Imamoğlu, who is currently in pre-trial detention.
It is expected that the Istanbul city council, in which the opposition CHP has a majority, will elect an acting mayor in the coming days. Two other district mayors in Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü and Sisli districts were also removed, with a trustee appointed in Sisli.
On Sunday morning, an investigation was launched against Imamoğlu, with 106 people in total being investigated, including Imamoğlu, who denies all allegations. His party, the CHP, criticized the move as a “coup” by the government, aiming to eliminate political competition. Despite this, the CHP began its presidential candidate selection as planned.
Imamoğlu is still expected to be the CHP’s presidential candidate, facing off against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a potential election. With 1.7 million CHP party members called to vote, Imamoğlu is seen as one of the most likely challengers to Erdoğan.
In recent days, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in several Turkish cities, according to the CHP, in protests against the potential arrest of Imamoğlu. In Istanbul alone, 300,000 people demonstrated, the CHP claimed. The party’s chairman, Özgür Özel, condemned the arrests as a “coup” against democracy.
Imamoğlu’s election victory in 2019 in Istanbul was seen as a significant defeat for Erdoğan’s AK Party, which had previously governed the city. Imamoğlu won again in 2024. Istanbul is the country’s most populous city and holds significant political and economic importance for Turkey.