Ekrem Imamoglu, 53, Istanbul’s mayor and main political challenger to Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan has been detained as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and terror links.
The main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is scheduled to hold a primary election on March 23, at which Imamoglu was expected to be chosen as its presidential candidate. The next presidential vote is scheduled for 2028, but early elections are likely.
Authorities detained 100 suspects – including other politicians, journalists, and businessmen – as part of the investigation, and the Istanbul governor's office has imposed four days of restrictions in the city.
CHP’s chairman, Ozgur Ozel, denounced Imamoglu's detention as a “coup”.
Imamoglu's rise in politics has drawn parallels to Erdogan's own trajectory, as both have led Istanbul, hail from Turkey's Black Sea region and encountered legal barriers that threatened their political futures, Reuters reports.
