In a dramatic political shake-up, Turkey’s opposition has appointed an interim mayor for Istanbul following the shocking detention of Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
İmamoğlu, who has been a central figure in the opposition’s challenge to Erdoğan’s rule, was sentenced and detained earlier this week, triggering outrage among his supporters and raising concerns over political freedoms in Turkey. The move is widely seen as an effort to sideline him ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.
In an emergency session, the Istanbul City Council selected Nuri Aslan to temporarily lead Turkey’s largest city. The appointment aims to ensure continuity in governance while the opposition fights İmamoğlu’s legal battle.
Opposition leaders have condemned İmamoğlu’s detention as politically motivated. “This is an open attack on democracy,” said a spokesperson for the Republican People’s Party (CHP). “The people of Istanbul will not accept this injustice.”
Istanbul’s 314-member council, where the CHP holds a majority, elected the party’s Nuri Aslan to run the city with 177 votes, according to NTV. The interim mayor will run the city for the remainder of Imamoglu’s term, as he awaits trial.
The election of an interim mayor prevents the government from appointing a trustee to run the municipality, as it has done in several other cities, particularly in the mainly Kurdish southeast, amid a months-long legal crackdown on the opposition.
Speaking at the Istanbul Municipality building in Sarachane, CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel, who visited Imamoglu in jail a day ago, said the interim mayor had blocked Erdogan’s desire to appoint a trustee at the municipality.
“The struggle will expand to all of Turkey from now on, but one leg will always be in Istanbul and one hand will always be on Sarachane,” Ozel said, adding the public’s resistance had thwarted what the opposition calls a “coup attempt” against it.
Interim Mayor Aslan, speaking alongside Ozel, said the position was entrusted to him temporarily.
“Our mayor, elected with the votes of Istanbul, will come back as soon as possible. We, along with our chairman, will take care of what he entrusted us with and give it back to him,” he said.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The decision to remove İmamoğlu has sparked protests across the country, with thousands taking to the streets in Istanbul, Ankara, and other major cities. International leaders have also voiced concern, with the EU and the US calling for respect for democratic institutions.
As Turkey braces for further political turmoil, the fate of Istanbul’s leadership remains uncertain, with opposition forces vowing to resist what they call Erdoğan’s latest attempt to consolidate power.
Related story: Fierce protests in Turkey after Erdogan rival jailed
