Turkey detains Erdogan’s main rival; opposition slams ‘coup against next president’

ISTANBUL - Turkish authorities detained President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival on March 19 on charges that include corruption and aiding a terrorist group, in what the main opposition party called “a coup against our next president”.

The move against Ekrem Imamoglu, the popular mayor of Istanbul, caps a months-long legal crackdown on opposition figures across the country which has been criticised as a politicised attempt to hurt their electoral prospects.

Turkey’s lira currency crashed 12 per cent to an all-time low of 42 lira to the US dollar in response, underscoring worries over the eroding rule of law in the major emerging market and Nato member country that Mr Erdogan has run for 22 years.

The government denies the opposition’s charges and says the judiciary is independent. It is, meanwhile, pressing to end a decades-long insurgency by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) after

its jailed leader called for disarmament

in February, in what could be a big step towards regional peace.

Imamoglu, 54, who leads Mr Erdogan in some opinion polls, faces two separate investigations that also include charges of leading a crime organisation, bribery and tender rigging.

In a video posted on social media, the two-term mayor said he would not give up and would continue standing straight in the face of pressure, as he fixed his tie and prepared to leave his home for detention on the morning of March 19.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was ready to name Imamoglu its official presidential challenger to Mr Erdogan within days.

The next election is set for 2028, but Mr Erdogan has reached his two-term limit as president, after having earlier served as prime minister. If he wishes to run again, he must call an early election ahead of finishing his term, or change the Constitution.

He faced his worst electoral defeat in 2024 when the CHP swept Turkey’s major cities and defeated his ruling AK Party in former strongholds in nationwide municipal elections.

‘Coup attempt’

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel called the detention a coup attempt and urged opposition groups to unite. The party will go ahead and select Imamoglu as leader on March 23, he added, before heading to Istanbul from the capital Ankara.

“Turkey is going through a coup against the next president. We are facing a coup attempt here,” he said.

Human Rights Watch called the charges against the mayor “politically motivated and bogus”, and said Imamoglu must be released immediately.

Mr Erdogan’s office did not immediately comment when asked about claims that the detention was a political move.

According to a statement by the Istanbul prosecutor’s office on the first investigation, a total of 100 people including journalists and businessmen are suspected of being involved in criminal activities related to certain tenders awarded by the municipality.

It said that a second investigation charged Imamoglu and six others with aiding the PKK, which is deemed a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies.

In February, the PKK declared a ceasefire in response to jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan’s call for disarmament, marking a big step towards ending an insurgency that has left more than 40,000 dead, and that could have regional security and political ramifications.

Imamoglu’s detention came a day after Istanbul University

annulled his degree,

which if upheld, would block him from running in presidential elections.

The Istanbul governor’s office banned all meetings and protests in the city for four days. Turkey also restricted access to social media platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, an internet observatory said.

The widening legal crackdown includes numerous indictments and the appointments of several government trustees to opposition-held municipal positions. As part of it, nationalist party leader Umit Ozdag has been detained since January. REUTERS