The Istanbul City Council will be able to elect a new mayor from its ranks after the court ruled this morning that Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu remains in custody on corruption charges, the Haberler portal reported.
The website commented that the fact that the court did not order İmamoğlu's arrest on terrorism charges, but only on corruption charges, means that it will not be necessary for the government to appoint a deputy to the post.
According to the regulations, another person from the leadership of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality is expected to be appointed in İmamoğlu's place.
The decision to keep İmamoğlu in pre-trial detention was made after a court hearing that lasted more than 15 hours, in which the court was brought before 99 more people.
Imamoglu and the other detainees have the right to appeal the detention order within two weeks, and the court must rule within 3 days, lawyers told CNN Turk.
According to the opposition newspaper Sözcü, İmamoğlu will probably be detained in Silivri, where other arrested celebrities are also being held.
The area in front of the Çağlayan courthouse was blocked by police in a wide radius throughout the night.
According to Turkish media, there has never been such a large concentration of police from all branches of the security system. However, large groups of people were around the courthouse all night, chanting "All together, we want justice."
The largest of the series of protests against the arrest of Mayor Imamoglu took place in Istanbul last night, with police using tear gas and water cannons. Meanwhile, authorities extended a ban on public gatherings until March 26.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the street protests, but today, the Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul district chairman Özgür Çelik called on party supporters who had already cast their votes in the local elections to head to the Istanbul Greater Municipality in Saraçhane.
Despite being in custody, İmamoğlu is the only candidate in the internal party elections of the CHP, Turkey's largest opposition party, which are due to choose its presidential candidate for the 2028 elections.