Turkish authorities detained President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's main political rival on Wednesday, charging him with corruption and aiding a terrorist group, in what the main opposition party called “a coup attempt against our next president.”
The move against Ekrem İmamoğlu, the popular mayor of Istanbul, appears to cap an aggressive months-long legal crackdown on opposition figures across the country, which has been criticized as a politicized attempt to silence dissent.
Erdoğan's government denies the charges and says the judiciary is independent. It is meanwhile pressing to end a decades-long insurgency by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) after its jailed leader called for disarmament last month.
İmamoğlu, 54, who leads Erdoğan in some opinion polls, faces two separate investigations that also include charges of leading a crime organization, bribery and tender rigging. TV footage showed him fixing his tie and preparing to leave his home for detention on Wednesday morning.
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) was poised within days to name the two-term mayor its official presidential challenger to Erdoğan, who has run Turkey for more than two decades.
The next election is set for 2028, but Erdoğan has reached his two-term limit as president after having earlier served as prime minister. If he wishes to run for the presidency again, he must call an early election and claim he has not finished his second term or change the constitution.
In a video he shared on social media, İmamoğlu said he would not give up and would continue standing straight in the face of pressure.
According to a statement by the Istanbul prosecutor's office on the first investigation, a total of 100 people, including journalists and businessmen, are suspected of being involved in criminal activities related to certain tenders awarded by the municipality.
It said that a second investigation charged İmamoğlu and six others with aiding the PKK, which is deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
Last month, the PKK declared a ceasefire in response to jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan's call for disarmament, marking a big step toward ending an insurgency that has left more than 40,000 dead and that could have regional security and political ramifications.
İmamoğlu's detention came a day after Istanbul University annulled İmamoğlu's degree, which, if upheld, would block him from running in presidential elections.
The Istanbul governor's office banned all meetings and protests in the city for four days.
The widening legal crackdown includes numerous indictments and the appointments of several government trustees to opposition-held municipal positions.
Turkey, as a NATO member and regional power, has positioned itself as a bridge between Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Erdoğan's relationship with Russia and the EU allows him to play a balancing role in central and eastern Europe, leveraging ties for political and economic benefit.
