A Turkish court, on Sunday, imprisoned Istanbul Mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, the main political rival of President Tayyip Erdogan, pending trial for corruption charges, in a movement that is likely to include the largest protests in the country in more than a decade.
The decision to send Imamoglu to prison comes after the main opposition party, European leaders and tens of thousands of protesters criticized the actions against him as politicized and anti -democratic.
As developments in the courtroom developed, there were signs that the mayor’s problems were galvanizing the opposition against the Government of Erdogan, which has led Turkey for 22 years.
Thousands of members of the Republican Popular Party (CHP) and non -members passed to the polling stations across the country to elect Imamoglu their candidate in a future presidential vote.
The vote that is not a member will look closely as an indicator of the amount of support that Imamoglu enjoys very popular beyond the party.
Imamoglu has denied the charges that he faced as « unimaginable accusations and slander » and called for national protests on Sunday. « We will eliminate this time, this dark stain of our democracy, all together, » he said.
The footage showed what the stations were said to be that Imamoglu was taken to Silivri prison in a police convoy.
He was removed from duty, along with two other mayors in the district, said a statement from the Ministry of the Interior.
The government denies that investigations are politically motivated and says that the courts are independent.
On Saturday, a national prohibition was expanded at street meetings for another four days, but protests and beach spaces with police continued in the big cities overnight.
Thousands are powered outside the court during the night and early on Sunday, waiting for the sentences on Imamoglu.
The court said Imamoglu, 54, and at least 20 were imprisoned as part of a corruption investigation, one of the two opened against him last week.
He said he was arrested to « establish and lead a criminal organization, accept bribes, embezzlement, illegally register personal data and equip public offers regarding financial investigation. »
Prison has a legal repression for months on the opposition figures and the withdrawal of other elected officials from the post, in what critics called a governmental attempt to hurt their electoral perspectives.
Six of the 27 CHP municipal mayors are on arrest, a year after the opposition parties surrendered the AK party of Erdogan their worst electoral defeat in the municipal elections.
The CHP opened the non -member party polling stations on Sunday to issue « solidarity votes » by Imamoglu, which was the only vote name for the presidency candidate.
CHP President Ozgur Ozel predicted millions of votes from non -members, saying that Imamoglu is « on the prison road, but also to the presidency. »
There are no general election until 2028.
But if Erdogan, 71, directed by Turkey for 22 years, will run again, Parliament should support the previous election as the President will have reached his limit until that date. Imamoglu leads Erdogan in some opinion surveys.
Challenging a temporary ban on demonstrations, hundreds took to the streets to support the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu and protest against the Erdogan government.
Imamoglu also faces accusations of terrorism, but the court did not formally arrested it at the same time.
A future sentence for prison prison pending trial of terrorism charges could allow the government to designate a trustee to run Istanbul. A condemnation could prevent the president from presenting.
The CHP said he would appeal to the sentence and choose someone to work as a acting mayor.
Shortly after the court’s ruling, the mayor pledged to finally defeat Erdogan, saying that those who led the investigation would be responsible.
Challenge outside the court
« Imamoglu has become Erdogan … Nightmare, » said Mehmet Karatas, a supporter of the opposition, outside the court. « We will make President of Ekrem Imamoglu. »
The arrest of Imamoglu has ruined the markets, with the Turkish Lira, the stocks and the good ones suffering from strong falls since Wednesday. Analysts expect more sale pressure after prison.
Civil disobedience has been dramatically stopped in Turkey since Gezi Park protests across the country against Erdogan government in 2013, which led to violent state repression.
However, thousands met again on Saturday night outside the building in the municipality of Istanbul and the main court. Hundreds of police used spray gas and pepper to disperse protesters, as the crowd launched firecrackers and other objects.
Although most demonstrations have been peaceful, protesters also collided with police in the western coast of Izmir and the capital, Ankara, for the third consecutive night, with police shooting water cannons.
Authorities have detained more than 300 people during the protests.
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