 "A woman protests, holding a poster of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, in front of a police cordon blocking the roads leading to the Vatan Security Department, in Istanbul, Turkey. AP")
The streets of Istanbul in Turkey were overrun by thousands of protesters on Wednesday (March 19) following the arrest of the city’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, just days before he was set to be named the opposition’s candidate in the next presidential election going up against Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“This is not democracy”, yelled the demonstrators even as authorities tried to curb the unrest by blocking roads, restricting access to social media platforms, and imposing a four-day ban on demonstrations. However, Imamoglu’s supporters gathered outside Istanbul’s police headquarters, City Hall, and the headquarters of Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), denouncing the arrest.
The arrest has also alarmed European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, calling the arrest “deeply concerning.” “Turkey must uphold the democratic values, especially the rights of elected officials,” she told reporters.
But who exactly is Imamoglu and why has he been arrested now?
The life of Ekrem Imamoglu
The 54-year-old was born in Akcaabat, a seaside town in Trabzon province on Turkey’s Black Sea coast, but moved to Istanbul as a teenager, studied business and then went to work in the construction industry.
In his school years, he was an amateur football player and is well known for his support of his local club, Trabzonspor. His love for football is one trait that he holds similar to his political rival — Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In 2008, Imamoglu left the construction business and joined politics, securing membership in the secularist CHP party. Six years later, he was elected mayor of Istanbul’s middle-class Beylikduzu district for the CHP.
In 2019, he caught the nation’s attention when he fought and won mayoral elections in Istanbul, delivering a huge blow to Erdogan and his party, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). However, Imamoglu was able to serve as mayor for just 18 days before the election result was annulled and his mandate was revoked over alleged vote irregularities. In the subsequent election held a few months later, Imamoglu once again won — this time, with an even larger margin.
Speaking to the Associated Press at the time, Imamoglu said: “I believe the people of Istanbul will give the necessary response to this injustice at the polls as a result of their belief in democracy. And God willing, the victors will be Istanbul and democracy.”
On Sunday, Imamoglu was likely to be elected as the CHP’s candidate for the presidential polls where he would go up against Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The next presidential election is scheduled for 2028, but likely to happen earlier.
Imamoglu has been praised for his soft, humorous approach to politics, which contrasts with that of many rivals in Turkey’s polarised political landscape.
The arrest of Imamoglu
On March 19, Turkish police detained Imamoglu on charges of corruption and links to terror groups. And as Turkish authorities gathered around his home to detain him, Imamoglu posted a video message as he put on a shirt and tie, captioning it as: “This is a blow to the will of the people.”
In the video, he said: “Hundreds of police officers have arrived at my door. I entrust myself to the people. The police are raiding my home, knocking on my door,” he said.
“I stand resolute, entrusting myself not only to the 16 million residents of Istanbul but to the 86 million citizens of Turkey, and all who uphold democracy and justice worldwide,” he later added. “I stand firm in my fight for fundamental rights and freedoms.”
According to Turkey’s public prosecutor, Imamoglu is leading a criminal organisation. He’s also allegedly taken part in corrupt practices in municipal business and engaged in bribery, fraud, money laundering, personal enrichment and bid rigging. A Turkish court has also ordered the seizure of a construction company co-owned by Imamoglu, the prosecutor’s office said.
The Istanbul mayor has also been accused of “aiding a terrorist organisation” in reference to the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK) armed group. The Istanbul prosecutor accused him of collaborating with a leftwing political coalition in the run-up to local elections after losses for Erdogan’s party last year, thereby allegedly aiding the PKK.
This isn’t Imamoglu’s first brush with the law. In the past, he has been accused of trying to influence a judicial expert investigating opposition-led municipalities and allegedly threatening a prosecutor.
Mass protests and worries abound
Imamoglu’s arrest has sparked massive protests in Istanbul, with members of the CHP calling it a coup. CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said, “Turkey is going through a coup against the next president. We are facing a coup attempt here.”
“Democracy was a train, and Erdogan only boarded it as long as it suited him. Now, he has stepped off that train and joined the ranks of the coup plotters,” he added.
Many supporters also highlighted the fact that a day before Imamoglu’s arrest, Istanbul University declared that it had annulled his diploma – effectively barring him from running for the presidency, as a university degree is a pre-requisite. Imamoglu denounced the decision as “legally baseless”.
Thousands of Imamoglu’s supporters came out on the streets, chanting support for the mayor and anti-government slogans. “We came here to support the mayor. They arrested him unjustly. So we are here to support him,” Murat Sapankaya, a municipal worker attending the protest, told Reuters.
However, Turkey’s justice minister, Yılmaz Tunç, dismissed claims that the president had been attempting to stifle political opposition. “The rule of law is essential,” he said in a statement. “It is utterly dangerous and wrong to mischaracterise the investigations conducted by the independent and impartial judiciary or describe them using expressions such as coup d’état.”
But others didn’t see it as that. Murat Somer, politics professor at Ozyegin University in Istanbul, said the Istanbul mayor’s detention was part of a political transformation Turkey is undergoing. Erdogan’s Turkey is moving from “an open autocratic regime to a Russian or Belorussian style, fully authoritarian, autocratic regime,” Somer told CNN, adding that this appears to be a “very well planned and orchestrated effort that started last fall.”
Other world leaders have also expressed concern with Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock saying it showed that “the space for opposition politicians is getting smaller and smaller.”
With inputs from agencies