Thousands of Turks demonstrated in Istanbul against the prison sentence of Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of the city. On Wednesday he was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison for insulting government officials.
The convicted mayor filed an appeal. Imamoglu is seen as a potential rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in next year’s elections. But if convicted, he may not be politically active during his sentence. However, he can remain mayor of Istanbul until roll call.
The protest in Istanbul, a city of about sixteen million inhabitants, took place at the city hall. Protesters carried Turkish flags and a large portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of present-day Turkey, hung from the building. “There will come a day when the AKP will be held accountable,” cried those present. The AKP is the ruling party led by Erdogan.
Next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections could be Erdogan’s biggest political challenge. Six opposition parties, led by Imamoglu’s party, have allied against the president. They have yet to pick a presidential candidate. The mayor of Istanbul has been indicated as a potential candidate and, according to polls, could beat Erdogan, who has been in power for almost 20 years.
Imamoglu says he was punished for his success. She won the mayoral election in Istanbul in 2019, but was declared invalid by the electoral council. He won the new vote by a bigger margin. A few months after taking office, he called members of the electoral council “crazy”.
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