Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu faces allegations of corruption in a new legal case that could remove him from office and prevent him from standing in June’s presidential election.
Recent opinion polls put Mr Imamoglu ahead of incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose popularity has been eroded by Turkey’s economic crisis.
Mr Imamoglu had been the favourite in the race to secure the nomination of the opposition alliance led by the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Mr Imamoglu, a former contractor, is being investigated by authorities for awarding a contract to a construction firm on the basis of nepotism rather than qualifications while mayor of Istanbul’s Beylikduzu district from 2014-2015. The case is scheduled for June 15th, three days before the election. If convicted he could spend six years in prison and a ban from politics.
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In December, another court sentenced him to three years imprisonment and handed out a political ban for insulting Turkey’s election commission, which reran the 2019 municipal elections after the CHP was slated to defeat Mr Erdogan’s Justice and Development party (AKP) in key cities, including Istanbul. Mr Imamoglu remains in office pending an appeal. He won the rerun handily, inflicting on Mr Erdogan his first major defeat in the city where he launched his political career as mayor.
The two men represent Turkey’s deep division between secular and religious, making the outcome of this election highly significant as it takes place during Turkey’s centenary celebrations.
The CHP is modern Turkey’s oldest party, established in 1919 by founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The CHP remains committed to his secular, nationalist, progressive, reformist ideology and adopts pro-European and pro-Nato policies.
Since the CHP has been in opposition for two decades, the party has not been blamed for devaluation of Turkey’s currency, high inflation, soaring prices and the presence of 3.5 million Syrian refugees. These issues have turned many voters against Mr Erdogan, who previously commanded the support of small towns, rural areas and devout conservatives.
Mr Erdogan’s AKP was established in 2001 by leading figures of the Muslim fundamentalist Virtue Party, which was outlawed that year for breaching the secularist constitution. Despite charges about its secularism, the AKP won the 2002 election and has survived another five electoral challenges, while introducing faith-based policies such as imposing high taxes on alcohol, lifting a ban on women’s headscarves and promoting religious education.
The AKP government has arrested critics allied with ultra-nationalists, intervened in regional affairs, stalled Turkey’s European Union accession and irked Nato by purchasing Russian weaponry. Without a serious challenger, Mr Erdogan, reportedly, expects to win again.
The Irish Times has had no response to a request from the Turkish Directorate of Communications for comment on allegations against Mr Imamoglu.
