A Turkish court docket on Sunday jailed the mayor of Istanbul pending his trial on corruption expenses, in accordance to the state-run Anadolu information company, hobbling 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 residence 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 hinder a well-liked politician’s presidential bid.
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 way of his political coordination with a pro-Kurdish group throughout native elections final yr. The court docket has not but dominated on whether or not he will probably be jailed for these accusations as nicely.
The choice to jail Mr. Imamoglu, who has been elected mayor 3 times since 2019, raised the likelihood that he could be faraway from workplace.
That alone could not forestall him from working for president, however he faces different roadblocks. The day earlier than his arrest, his alma mater, Istanbul College, voided his diploma, citing improper procedures in his switch to the college in 1990. Turkey’s Structure stipulates that the president should have accomplished larger training. The mayor stated earlier than he was detained that he would contest the ruling.
Mr. Imamoglu faces a slew of different court docket instances as nicely, together with some that might briefly bar him from politics.
In a put up on X, the mayor known as on Turks to stand collectively in opposition to “this black stain on our democracy,”
Of his detention, he stated: “I stand tall. I’ll by no means bow.”
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 eradicate him from the race earlier than it begins represents a brand new stage of authoritarianism.
Some European leaders have criticized the mayor’s arrest, which has prompted protests round Turkey, they usually 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 not too long ago spoken with Mr. Erdogan. The decision was not made public by the White Home on the time.
“There’s simply a whole lot 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 important opposition occasion, the Republican Individuals’s Occasion, or C.H.P., has gone forward with a major on Sunday to formally designate him its presidential candidate. Occasion members voted across the nation, and the occasion known as on nonparty members to prove as nicely to solid symbolic ballots to help the jailed mayor.
Mr. Erdogan’s present presidential time period, his second, expires in 2028. Whereas the Structure limits presidents to two full phrases, he might legally run once more if Parliament known as for early elections, chopping quick his second mandate.
Many individuals in Turkey anticipate that to occur. If it does, it’s doable that Mr. Imamoglu, 54, might be barred from the race. Mr. Erdogan, 71, has not stated whether or not he would run, however he has no clear successor and many individuals in Turkey anticipate him to search one other time period.
The jailing of Mr. Imamoglu might disrupt the administration of Turkey’s largest metropolis. The town authorities employs greater than 100,000 folks and oversees a lot of corporations that construct housing, run public transportation and perform infrastructure tasks.
Massive 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 collect in public squares.
On Saturday, the Inside Ministry stated that 343 folks had been arrested whereas protesting, and the workplace of Istanbul’s governor, who’s appointed by Mr. Erdogan, stated vacationers “doubtless to take part in illegal protests” could be prevented from getting into town.
Safak Timur and Gulsin Harman contributed reporting.
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