DodoFinance Breaking News Made For You!
Thousands of Turks demonstrated in Istanbul against the prison sentence of Ekrem Imamoglu, the city’s mayor. He was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison on Wednesday for insulting government officials.
The condemned mayor appealed. Imamoglu is seen as a potential rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in next year’s elections. But if convicted, he cannot be politically active during his sentence. However, he can remain mayor of Istanbul until the appeal.
The protest in Istanbul, a city of about sixteen million people, was held at City Hall. The demonstrators carried Turkish flags and a large portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of present-day Turkey, hung on the building. “There will come a day when the AKP will be held accountable,” those present shouted. The AKP is the ruling party led by Erdogan.
Next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections could be Erdogan’s biggest political challenge yet. Six opposition parties, led by Imamoglu’s party, formed an alliance against the president. They have not yet chosen a presidential candidate. The mayor of Istanbul has been mooted as a potential candidate and, according to polls, could beat Erdogan, in power for nearly 20 years.
Imamoglu says he is being punished for his success. He won the election for mayor of Istanbul in 2019, but it was declared invalid by the electoral board. He won the re-vote by a larger margin. A few months after taking office, he calls the members of the electoral council “crazy”.
We are curious to know your opinion on this article. Click on here to leave your comments in a short one-minute questionnaire.
“Infuriatingly humble social media ninja. Devoted travel junkie. Student. Avid internet lover.”