Istanbul (Special to Informed Comment) – Major protests over the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival, have entered their sixth day. Demonstrations have erupted in at least 55 out of Türkiye’s 81 provinces, according to AFP, which marks one of the most widespread waves of anti-government protests in recent years.
The protests began on March 19, following İmamoğlu’s detention on allegations of corruption and supporting terrorism. His arrest came just days before he was set to be nominated as the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate for the 2028 presidential election. The timing of his detention has led to accusations by the opposition that the charges are aimed at blocking his presidential bid.
Photo by Volkan Isbasaran
İmamoğlu himself announced his detention in a video posted on social media before being taken into custody. Filming from his home as “hundreds of” police officers gathered outside on the morning of March 19, İmamoğlu described the situation as “great tyranny” but assured supporters, “I want you to know that I will not be discouraged.”
His arrest was part of a broader crackdown, with his advisor Murat Ongun, two district mayors from Istanbul, Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan and Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık, as well as over 100 others, including journalists and businesspeople, also being detained. CHP leader Özgür Özel condemned the arrests as a “political coup.”
Background and Context
İmamoğlu’s rise in Turkish politics began in 2009 when he joined CHP. He first gained prominence as the Mayor of Beylikdüzü, a district in Istanbul, from 2014 to 2019. However, his national breakthrough came in 2019 when he ran for Mayor of Istanbul, challenging the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)’s and its predecessors’ 25-year control of the city.
He initially won the March 31, 2019 election by a narrow margin of about 13,000 votes, but the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) annulled the results. In the re-run held on June 23, 2019, İmamoğlu secured a landslide victory with a lead of over 800,000 votes. Five years later, he was re-elected in the 2024 local elections and reinforced his position as one of Erdoğan’s strongest political challengers.
Despite his electoral successes, İmamoğlu has faced persistent legal and political challanges. In December 2022, he was sentenced to over two years in prison and banned from politics for allegedly insulting electoral officials. Human Rights Watch and opposition parties criticized the ruling as unjustified and politically motivated.
Photo by Volkan Isbasaran
The pressure on İmamoğlu intensified just before his arrest. On March 18, 2025, just one day before his detention, Istanbul University annulled his university diploma. Since Turkish law requires presidential candidates to hold a university degree, the move effectively blocked him from running in the 2028 election.
İmamoğlu has consistently shown strong polling numbers against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a hypothetical presidential election. A recent survey from March 2025 showed İmamoğlu with 54.1% support compared to Erdoğan’s 38.6%, a lead of over 15 points.
The Arrest and Protests
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has accused İmamoğlu of leading a criminal organization, alleging corruption, extortion, bribery, and money laundering linked to municipal contracts, as well as aiding terrorism. However, the opposition points out that the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) underwent 1,200 audits by the Court of Accounts (Sayıştay) between 2019 and 2024 without any corruption findings.
Photo by Volkan Isbasaran
The terrorism allegations stem from CHP’s informal electoral cooperation with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) during the 2024 local elections. While no formal alliance was declared, DEM chose not to field a candidate in Istanbul which indirectly consolidated opposition votes behind İmamoğlu.
The government asserts that the opposition’s decision not to split votes, known as the “urban consensus” initiative allowed the outlawed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to increase its influence by placing its members or affiliates in municipal positions. The PKK is designated by a terrorist organization by Türkiye and many of its Western allies.
The protests erupted immediately after İmamoğlu’s detention. In Istanbul, thousands defied a four-day ban on public demonstrations by gathering outside the İBB’s city hall in Saraçhane. The demonstrations quickly spread to other major cities, including Ankara, Izmir, Adana, and Eskişehir, as well as strongholds of Erdoğan’s AKP, such as Konya, Trabzon, and Rize – Erdoğan’s hometown.
Poster protesting “Dictatorship.” Photo by Volkan Isbasaran
On March 23, four days after his detention, İmamoğlu was formally arrested and sent to Silivri Prison. The protests, which had already been gaining momentum, escalated into the largest wave of civil unrest in Türkiye since the 2013 Gezi Park protests.
That same day, CHP held its presidential primary election and İmamoğlu was announced as the party’s presidential candidate. According to CHP leader Özgür Özel, 14.8 million people voted for İmamoğlu in the primary elections.
Implications
The arrest has drawn widespread international condemnation. The Council of Europe labeled it an “assault on democracy,” demanding İmamoğlu’s immediate release. In a joint statement led by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the mayors of several Eurocities, including Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Milan, and Rome, denounced the arrest as arbitrary and undemocratic.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the move, calling the arrests of İmamoğlu and other opposition figures a “serious attack on democracy.”
Poster protesting “Dictatorship.” Photo by Volkan Isbasaran
Beyond the political fallout, the arrest has triggered economic instability. The Turkish lira depreciated sharply, with the USD rising from 36.70 TRY on March 18 to 38.00 TRY on March 24. Opposition MP Faik Öztrak estimated that the economic cost of the crisis had exceeded 684 billion lira (over $18 billion).
As of the latest reports, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 1,133 people had been detained during five days of protests, while 123 police officers had been injured. Erdoğan has framed the unrest as a “movement of violence,” warning that CHP will be held responsible for injuries and property damage.
Despite bans on street gatherings, the protests show no sign of slowing down. CHP has called for continued demonstrations, vowing to oppose İmamoğlu’s detention through legal and political means.
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