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Turkish police owned the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmaMoğlu, the main political challenger of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while the government’s radical repression against the opposition has intensified.
̇MamoğluWednesday’s detention was part of an investigation into the alleged terrorist links resulting from a support he may have received from a pro-Kurdish political group for his campaign to re-election from the town hall in 2024, said the Anadolu news agency managed by the State.
The Republican People’s Popular Opposition (CHP) was to appoint ̇mamoğlu, one of the country’s most popular political figures, as a primary presidential candidate on Sunday.
The elections are planned for 2028, but the party said that the name of its candidate should now force the Parliament to call a Snap survey.
The president of the CHP, Özgur Özel, condemned detention, saying: “We are face to face with an attempted coup against our next president”.
The Turkish LIRA fell up to 10% compared to the dollar after detention and the Benchmark Bist 100 index of the country decreased almost 7% in early morning trade.
Erdoğan, a strong man who has survived Turkish politics for more than two decades, directed the nation in an increasingly authoritarian path, in particular after having survived a 2016 coup attempt.
In recent weeks, his government has embarked on a repression that has targeted politicians from left to right, journalists, academics – even an astrologer who has moved away from electoral predictions – because Erdoğan’s rivals have been hampered.
̇MamoğluBy far the most high -end objective, already faces a series of probes, mainly for its political speeches.
“Hundreds of police officers are on my door,” İmaMoğlu said on Wednesday in a vocal message shared by his office on Wednesday. “This immoral and tyrannical approach will undoubtedly be canceled by the will and the resilience of our people.”
Dilek İmaMoğlu, the mayor’s wife, told a television channel that the police had arrived at home when they finished the meal before Sahur dawn during the month of Ramadan Islamic fast and that he was taken around 7:30 am. He is detained at the Central Istanbul police station, according to reports.
His detention came in parallel with the issue of arrest mandates for 99 other people, according to Anadolu. The governor of Istanbul, which is appointed by Erdoğan, prohibited demonstrations across Istanbul for four days.
The authorities have also limited access to social media platforms, notably X, Instagram and YouTube, reported the Internet global Netblocks instructor.
Igniğlu’s detention occurs one day after the state of the University of Istanbul canceled his higher education diplomaWhich would disqualify him to enter the presidential race if he was not overthrown on appeal.
İMamoğlu was re -elected last year by a margin of more than 11 percentage points while the voters punished the party in power of Erdoğan, in power since 2002, on its management of a cost of the longtime life crisis.
