Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu sent a message through his social media account Ex, apparently addressed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and called on members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to raise their voices against the “unjust arrests“ yesterday.
“You look at my property, labor and work, which are the fruit of the efforts of several generations, even though you have many dirty spots that you cannot justify either at home or abroad. (…) You are doing all this with a group of incompetent people. "Everyone involved in this activity is tainted," Imamoglu said in his statement, which did not explicitly mention the president by name.
“I also address the representatives of the Turkish judiciary, the tens of thousands of worthy and morally elevated judges and prosecutors who serve their nation. (…) You cannot and should not remain silent“, Imamoglu added in his address.
“Finally, I would like to address all politicians who serve the AKP and are part of the ruling coalition. These events transcend our parties and political ideologies. The process now affects the entire nation and especially your families. "It is time to speak up," Imamoglu wrote at the end of his address.
Imamoglu's message came after he was detained by Turkish police yesterday morning on charges of "corruption, bribery and collaboration with terrorists." A number of senior members of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) were also arrested in Istanbul yesterday, sparking protests and international backlash.
The Istanbul mayor is seen as the CHP's most likely candidate for the presidential race, although a formal decision on this is due on March 23. HDP leader Özgür Özel said his party would go ahead and nominate İmamoğlu as its presidential candidate on Sunday, regardless of his detention.
The next presidential election is scheduled for 2028, and Erdogan has reached his two-term limit as president, having previously served as prime minister. If he wants to run again, he must call early elections or change the country's constitution.