According to the official -administered Anadolo News Agency, a Turkish court on Sunday sent the mayor of Istanbul to a jail for a pending trial on charges of corruption, which included a potential contender and a top rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey’s next presidential election.
The mayor, Ekim Amoglo, was arrested on Wednesday, four days ago, when he was nominated as the presidential candidate for Turkey’s political opposition. He has denied the allegations against him, which Mr Erdogan’s opponents have called a famous politician to prevent a trick from participating in the president’s election.
Government news media said that the court ordered that Mr Amoglov be jailed for corruption charges in the postponement of a case. State prosecutors have accused it of guiding a criminal organization and monitoring bribery, bidding fraud and other financial misconduct in the city hall.
Prosecutors have also accused him of supporting terrorism through his political harmony during the local elections last year. The court has not yet ruled that they will also be jailed for the charges.
The decision to send Mr Amulglu, who was elected mayor three times since 2019, has increased the possibility that he will be removed from office.
Critics of Mr Erdogan, who have dominated Turkish politics for more than two decades, have long accused him of using state power to offend his rivals. But, he says, arresting the presidential contender represents a new level of dictatorship before it is removed from the race to end it.
Some European leaders have criticized the arrest of the mayor, which has led to a protest around Turkey, and has called on the Turkish government to maintain the rule of law. Senior US officials have said very few.
President Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Watkf, did not mention the Mayor’s detention in one Interview Former Fox News Anchor Tucker Carlson Joe was posted on x On Saturday, but he said Mr Trump had recently talked to Mr Erdogan. The call was not made public at this time through the White House.
Mr Watkov said without further details, “As a result of this conversation, there are still many good, positive news from Turkey.”
Despite the detention of Mr Amoglo, Turkey’s central opposition party, the Republican People’s Party, or the CHP, has moved forward with a primary on Sunday to formally nominate his presidential candidate. The party members voted nationwide, and the party demanded non -party members to put a symbolic belt to help the jail mayor.
Mr Erdogan’s current presidential term, his second, ends in 2028. While the presidents of the Constitution have been restricted to two complete terms, if the Parliament demands the preliminary elections, they can legally run, which has reduced its second mandate.
Many people in Turkey expect it to happen. If this happens, it is possible that the 54 -year -old Mr. Amoglo will be stopped from the race and he will not be able to challenge Mr. Erdogan, 71.
Mr Amoglo’s prison may interfere with the administration of Turkey’s largest city. The City Government employs more than 100,000 people and oversees several companies that operate housing, public transportation and perform infrastructure projects.
Despite the government’s attempts by the government to stop them, major protests against Mr Amoglo’s detention have begun to spread overnight in the cities of Turkey. Public demonstrations have been banned in the country’s three largest cities, access to social medical has been restricted and major transit centers have been closed to prevent the ability of the protesters in public squares.
On Saturday, the Interior Ministry said 343 people were arrested during the protest, and the office of the governor of Istanbul, which was appointed by Mr Erdogan, said passengers would be prevented from entering the city “is likely to participate in illegal protests”.
Safak Timor Reporting was contributed.
