 "Turkey: In jail for 9 months, Erdogan’s challenger hopes to oust him in next election")
Nine months after being arrested in Istanbul as a result of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on dissenters, Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has vowed to defeat his rival from his prison cell.
Imamoglu, who is Erdogan’s main political rival, was accused of leading a corruption network that cost the state billions of lira by the president and was subsequently jailed last year. The Istanbul mayor is currently incarcerated at the notorious Silivri jail.
The 55-year-old politician told Politico, “What we are living through today is not a genuine legal process; it is a strategy of political siege.”
“President Erdoğan’s aim is not only to shape the next election. It is to erase my candidacy now and in the future, and to push me completely out of politics. The reason is clear: They know that in a free and fair election, I can defeat President Erdoğan at the ballot box, and they are trying to prevent that,” he added.
Imamoglu continues candidacy
Imamoglu believes that he can defeat Erdogan from his prison cell and hence is running online campaigns via platforms like X, Instagram and TikTok, with help from his team.
Despite being behind bars and fully aware of his restrictions, the mayor maintains that his campaign can prevail even without his physical attendance or public addresses.
“What defines a campaign is its ideas, its values, and the shared will of citizens. We have all of these on our side … Everyone is aware that my arrest is unjust. Even a significant portion of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) voters consider my detention unfair and see it as a grave blow to justice," he told the news outlet.
“The presidential primary on March 23, 2025, demonstrated this clearly. Although I was detained, around 15.5 million citizens voted to support my candidacy. Only 2 million of that number were CHP members; the other 13.5 million came from every segment of society. The campaign launched by my party to demand trial without detention and early elections has gathered 25.1 million signatures. All of this reflects a demand that transcends party lines: a demand for justice, merit, and dignity,” he further said.
Quick Reads
View AllThe 2,000-year prison term
In November last year, a Turkish prosecutor made an unusual demand of slapping a 2,000-year prison term for Imamoglu.
Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek urged a higher court to ban Imamoglu’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). Gurlek announced the indictment at a press conference, saying it names 402 suspects, including the mayor, and accuses them of forming a criminal organisation, bribery, fraud and bid-rigging.
The 4,000-page-long indictment called the Istanbul mayor the brains behind a criminal group that carried out the scam that has cost the city $3.8 billion in losses.
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