The Turkish court closed Mayor Istanbul on Sunday, waiting for a trial for corruption charges, according to the State Gazette Anadol, placing aside the potential candidate at the next Turkish and top rival, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested in his house on Wednesday, Four days before he was to be appointed presidential candidate of Turkish political opposition. He denied the charges against him, which the opponents of Mr. Erdogan called a plot to prevent the popular politician from running for the president.
The court ordered Mr. Imamoglu to be closed for charges of corruption until the trial, the state newspaper media said. State prosecutors accused him of leading a criminal organization and monitoring the bribe, the installation of candidates and other financial crimes at the City Hall.
Prosecutors also accused him of supporting terrorism through his political coordination with a pro -Kurdish group during the local elections last year. The court has not yet ruled whether to be closed and for those charges.
The decision on Mr. Imamoglu’s prison, who has been elected mayor three times since 2019, has raised the possibility that it will be removed from duty.
Mr. Erdogan’s critics, who dominated Turkish politics for more than two decades, have long accused him of using state power to undermine his rivals. But, they say, arresting the presidential candidate to eliminate him from the race before he starts represents New level of authoritarianism.
Some European leaders criticized the arrest of the mayor, which encouraged protests around Turkey, and called on the Turkish government to support the rule of the law. Senior American officials said little.
Steve Witkoff, the envoy of the President Trump of the Middle East, did not mention the custody of the mayor in interview with former Fox News Anchorages Tucker Carlson who was Posted on X Saturday. But he said Mr. Trump recently spoke with Mr. Erdogan. The call at the time was not published by the White House.
“There are only a lot of good, positive news that came out of Turkey as a result of this conversation,” said Mr. Witkoff, without giving further details.
Despite the detention of Mr. Imamoglu, the main Turkish opposition party, the Republican People’s Party or the CHP, on Sunday, on Sunday, she continued with the primary to officially determine her presidential candidate. The party members voted across the country, and the party invited non -partisan members to appear and throw symbolic ballots to support the closed mayor.
Mr. Erdogan’s current presidential term, his second, expires in 2028. While the Constitution limits the presidents for two full mandates, he could legally run if Parliament invites the early elections, reducing his second term.
Many people in Turkey expect this to happen. If this happens, it is possible that Mr. Imamoglu (54) could be banned in the race and could not cause Mr. Erdogan, 71.
The prison of Mr. Imamglu could disrupt the administration of the largest city of Turkey. The city government employs more than 100,000 people and overseeing numerous companies building housing, managing public transport and implementing infrastructure projects.
Great protests against the detention of Mr. Imamoglu have erupted in cities throughout Turkey, despite the government’s efforts to stop them. Public demonstrations are prohibited in the three largest cities in the country, the social medial approach is limited, and the main transit hubs are closed to prevent the capacity of protests from gathering in public squares.
On Saturday, the Ministry of the Interior announced that 343 people were arrested during the protest, and the Istanbul Governor’s Office, whom Mr. Erdogan appointed, said that passengers were “likely to participate in illegal protests” to prevent entry into the city.
Safak Timur contribute to reporting.
