A Turkish opposition politician, Ekrem Imamoğlu, has been temporarily removed from his position as Istanbul’s mayor, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Interior. Imamoğlu, who is currently in pre-trial detention, was elected as the official presidential candidate of the CHP party for the 2028 election.
The party announced the results of the election on a large demonstration in Istanbul, stating that 1.6 million of the party’s 1.7 million members voted in favor of Imamoğlu as their candidate for the future presidential election. The party’s chairman, Özgür Özel, announced that the CHP will hold an extraordinary congress on April 6 of this year to confirm Imamoğlu’s candidacy despite the increasing pressure from the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Imamoğlu is still considered a strong challenger to President Erdoğan. The next regular presidential election in Turkey is scheduled for 2028. The former Istanbul mayor was arrested on Wednesday in connection with corruption and terrorism allegations and was officially transferred to pre-trial detention and lost his position as mayor of Istanbul on Sunday.
Imamoğlu’s election victories in Istanbul in 2019 and 2024 were seen as significant setbacks for the AK Party of President Erdoğan, which had previously dominated the city. Istanbul is the most populous city in the country and holds significant political and economic importance for Turkey.
The current situation escalated in the lead-up to Imamoğlu’s arrest, as Turkish security forces conducted a raid on his home, citing allegations of corruption and alleged connections to a terrorist organization. The indictment includes charges of leading a criminal organization, membership in a criminal organization, extortion, bribery, qualified fraud and unauthorized seizure of personal data and market manipulation.
The arrest sparked widespread public outrage, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets in protest and solidarity. Imamoğlu’s university degree has also been revoked, although this decision is not yet final, as a degree is a prerequisite for a presidential candidacy in Turkey.
Imamoğlu denies all the allegations against him and accuses the Erdoğan government of trying to eliminate him as a political rival through the forced investigations. He describes the arrest as a direct attack not only on his person, but on the democratic values of the entire nation. “This is not just about me or my party, but about a matter that concerns the entire Turkey” Imamoğlu said in a statement.