Turkish police arrest Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkish police on March 19 arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main rival, as part of a corruption investigation.

Istanbul prosecutors have announced that Ekrem Imamoglu has been arrested on bribery and extortion charges, suspecting the Istanbul mayor of being the leader of a "criminal organization". The prosecutors' office said 100 suspects have been detained, according to AFP. The move appears to be linked to an investigation into alleged "bid rigging" of Mr Imamoglu that was opened in 2023.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu speaks in Istanbul, Türkiye, on January 31.

Mr Imamoglu was also arrested in connection with a separate investigation into alleged support for the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Mr Imamoglu was one of seven people arrested, according to Turkish media.

Before his arrest, Mr. Imamoglu was a key figure in the opposition CHP party and the main political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Mr. Imamoglu was arrested just days before he was scheduled to be elected as the CHP's candidate for the 2028 presidential election.

After Mr. Imamoglu was arrested, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel called for opposition unity and said on March 23 that the CHP would continue to choose Mr. Imamoglu as its presidential candidate no matter what happened, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, Mr. Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a main political ally of President Erdogan, affirmed the independence of the Turkish judiciary.

The next election is set for 2028, but Erdogan has reached the two-term limit. If he wants to run again, he must call an early election before his term ends or change the constitution, according to Reuters.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/canh-sat-tho-nhi-ky-bat-giu-thi-truong-istanbul-ekrem-imamoglu-185250319194601397.htm