Türkiye’s opposition says the accusations against Erdogan’s rival, Imamoglu, are politically motivated
Turkey’s opposition CHP party denounced the indictment of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who carries a potential sentence of hundreds of years, as a politically motivated maneuver. This is “a flagrant case of judicial interference in politics,” CHP boss Özgür Özel said on Tuesday on the X online service.
“This case is illegitimate, it is completely political,” wrote the leader of the left-wing nationalist CHP. The sole purpose of the indictment was to hinder Imamoglu’s candidacy for president. Shortly before the indictment was published on Tuesday, Özel had confirmed that the CHP was sticking with Imamoglu as its main candidate in the 2028 elections.
Prosecutors charged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rival with 142 charges, including the creation of a criminal organization, racketeering and various corruption crimes such as bribery, embezzlement, money laundering and tender fraud. According to state news agency Anadolu, prosecutors want to seek a prison sentence for Imamoglu, which could be up to 2,430 years in prison.
Imamoglu is President Erdogan’s most important domestic political opponent. His arrest in March sparked the biggest wave of protests in Turkey since the Gezi protests in 2013. The CHP emerged victorious in local elections last year and has since come under immense pressure from judicial authorities across the country.
AFP
