Turkish police detain Erdoğan’s main political rival

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Turkish police have detained Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the main political challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as the government’s sweeping crackdown on the opposition intensified.

İmamoğlu’s detention on Wednesday was part of an investigation into alleged terrorism links stemming from support he may have received from a pro-Kurdish political group for his 2024 mayoral re-election campaign, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

The opposition Republican People’s party (CHP) was set to name İmamoğlu, one of the country’s most popular political figures, as its presidential candidate in a primary on Sunday.

Elections are scheduled for 2028, but the party has said naming its candidate now should compel parliament to call a snap poll.

CHP chair Özgur Özel condemned the detention, saying “we are face to face with an attempt at a coup against our next president”.

The Turkish lira fell as much as 10 per cent against the dollar following the detention and the country’s benchmark Bist 100 index was down almost 7 per cent in early morning trading.

Erdoğan, a strongman who has towered over Turkish politics for more than two decades, has steered the nation down an increasingly authoritarian path, particularly after he survived a 2016 coup attempt. 

In recent weeks, his government has embarked on a crackdown that has targeted politicians from left and right, journalists, academics — even an astrologer who strayed into election predictions — as Erdoğan’s rivals have been hobbled. 

İmamoğlu, by far the most high profile target, already faces a spate of probes, mostly for his political speeches.

“Hundreds of police are at my door,” İmamoğlu said in a voice message shared by his office early on Wednesday. “This immoral and tyrannical approach will undoubtedly be overturned by the will and resilience of our people.”

Dilek İmamoğlu, the mayor’s wife, told a television station that police had arrived at their home as they finished the pre-dawn meal of sahur during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan and that he was taken away at about 7:30am. He is being held at the central Istanbul police station, according to news reports.

His detention came alongside the issue of arrest warrants for a further 99 people, according to Anadolu. The Istanbul governor, who is appointed by Erdoğan, has banned demonstrations throughout Istanbul for four days.

Authorities have also restricted access to social media platforms including X, Instagram and YouTube, global internet monitor NetBlocks reported.

İmamoğlu’s detention comes a day after the state Istanbul University cancelled his higher education degree, which would disqualify him from entering the presidential race if not overturned on appeal.

İmamoğlu was re-elected last year by a margin of more than 11 percentage points as voters punished Erdoğan’s ruling party, in power since 2002, over its management of a long-running cost of living crisis.