Thousands of sympathizers gathered in front of the Istanbul courthouse this Friday to protest against legal proceedings aimed at Ekrem ̇maMoğlu, potential future leader of the main Turkish opposition party, the People’s Republican Party (CHP), and possible rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Ekrem İmaMoğlu testified for two hours about his comments on a chief prosecutor and a legal expert. Critics believe that these investigations are aimed at dismissing it from the political scene. The politician has already been convicted of having insulted members of the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey and risks a political ban if his condemnation of 2022 is confirmed by a higher court. He is also tried for his presumed involvement in the fuel of a call for tenders in 2015.
The situation has been won when the riot police prevented a CHP bus from approaching the courthouse, triggering clashes. The police retaliated with tear gas, and it is not clear if arrests have taken place. İMamoğlu then addressed the crowd from the roof of the bus, in another place, declaring: “Unfortunately, it is the result of a plot that we try to set up in Istanbul”.
At 53, Ekrem İmaMoğlu was elected mayor of Istanbul for the first time in March 2019, marking a historic turning point for the Erdoğan justice and development party, which has dominated the city for 25 years. The party attempted to cancel the results, invoking irregularities, which led to a new election a few months later, that İmaMoğlu won again. He was re -elected mayor of the largest city in Türkiye last year.
