A Turkish court docket on Sunday jailed the mayor of Istanbul pending trial on corruption prices, based on the state-run Anadolu information company, sidelining a possible contender in Turkey’s subsequent presidential election and the highest rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested at his home on Wednesday, 4 days earlier than he was set to be named the presidential candidate of Turkey’s political opposition. He has denied the accusations in opposition to him, which Mr. Erdogan’s opponents have known as a ploy to stop a well-liked politician from working for president.
The court docket ordered that Mr. Imamoglu be jailed on accusations of corruption pending a trial, the state-run information media stated. State prosecutors have accused him of main a legal group and overseeing bribery, bid rigging and different monetary misdeeds at Metropolis Corridor.
Prosecutors additionally accused him of supporting terrorism by his political coordination with a pro-Kurdish group throughout native elections final 12 months. The court docket has not but dominated on whether or not he might be jailed for these accusations as effectively.
The choice to jail Mr. Imamoglu, who has been elected mayor 3 times since 2019, raised the chance that he could be faraway from workplace.
Critics of Mr. Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for greater than 20 years, have lengthy accused him of utilizing state energy to undermine his rivals. However, they are saying, arresting a presidential contender to remove him from the race earlier than it begins represents a new level of authoritarianism.
Some European leaders have criticized the mayor’s arrest, which has prompted protests round Turkey, and so they have known as on the Turkish authorities to uphold the rule of legislation. Senior U.S. officers have stated little.
Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Center East envoy, made no point out of the mayor’s detention in an interview with the previous Fox Information anchor Tucker Carlson that was posted on X on Saturday. However he stated that Mr. Trump had lately spoken with Mr. Erdogan. The decision was not made public by the White Home on the time.
“There’s simply a variety of good, optimistic information popping out of Turkey proper now because of that dialog,” Mr. Witkoff stated, with out offering additional particulars.
Regardless of Mr. Imamoglu’s detention, Turkey’s essential opposition occasion, the Republican Folks’s Celebration, or C.H.P., has gone forward with a main on Sunday to formally designate him its presidential candidate. Celebration members voted across the nation, and the occasion known as on nonparty members to prove as effectively to forged symbolic ballots to assist the jailed mayor.
Mr. Erdogan’s present presidential time period, his second, expires in 2028. Whereas the Structure limits presidents to 2 full phrases, he might legally run once more if Parliament known as for early elections, slicing quick his second mandate.
Many individuals in Turkey count on that to occur. If it does, it’s potential that Mr. Imamoglu, 54, may very well be barred from the race and wouldn’t be capable of problem Mr. Erdogan, 71.
The jailing of Mr. Imamoglu might disrupt the administration of Turkey’s largest metropolis. Town authorities employs greater than 100,000 individuals and oversees a lot of corporations that construct housing, run public transportation and perform infrastructure initiatives.
Giant protests in opposition to Mr. Imamoglu’s detention have damaged out nightly in cities throughout Turkey, regardless of the federal government’s efforts to cease them. Public demonstrations have been banned within the nation’s three largest cities, social medial entry has been restricted and main transit hubs have been closed to hamper the power of protesters to assemble in public squares.
On Saturday, the Inside Ministry stated that 343 individuals had been arrested whereas protesting, and the workplace of Istanbul’s governor, who’s appointed by Mr. Erdogan, stated vacationers “more likely to take part in illegal protests” could be prevented from coming into town.
Safak Timur contributed reporting.
