Turkey detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a prominent figure in the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and widely regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s primary political rival, on Wednesday.
The arrest, which comes just days before the CHP was set to name İmamoğlu as its presidential candidate for the 2028 election, has sparked accusations of political suppression and heightened tensions in Turkey’s already polarized political landscape.
There is a wider perception that Ekrem İmamoğlu has been politically victimised as a major opposition Erdogan ever faced.
The CHP has denounced the arrest as a “coup attempt against our next president,” with party chairman Özgür Özel cutting short a trip to Germany to return to Turkey.
In response to the arrest, Turkish authorities banned all protests and gatherings in Istanbul for four days, and access to social media platforms, including X, YouTube, and Instagram, was restricted across the country, according to the internet observatory Netblocks. Metro stations near police headquarters, where İmamoğlu was taken, were closed, and roads around key areas were blocked off.
İmamoğlu’s detention marks a dramatic escalation in Erdoğan’s efforts to neutralize political opponents. The two-term mayor, who has won three consecutive elections in Istanbul—Turkey’s economic and cultural hub—has emerged as a formidable challenger to Erdoğan, who has led the country for over two decades. His victories, including a landslide win in the 2019 re-run election after an initial result was annulled, have cemented his popularity and positioned him as a potential successor to Erdoğan, whose next opportunity to run for president would require an early election before 2028 under constitutional rules.
International observers and human rights advocates have criticized the move.
