File image.
Protests broke out in Turkey on March 19 following the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a leading opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Imamoglu, who won the mayorship of Turkey’s most populous city last year with a landslide, was arrested just days before he was expected to be nominated as his party’s candidate for the presidency on charges including terrorism and organized crime.
State prosecutors also issued warrants for 100 other people including journalists, business people and members of Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), which is Turkey’s main opposition group. The CHP was set to hold a primary election on March 23, during which Imamoglu was widely expected to emerge as the group’s presidential candidate.
The Istanbul governor’s office imposed bans on protests following the arrests. The metro and key roads in the city were also closed. Still, the protests went on into March 20, with supporters of Imamoglu gathering in city barricades and university campuses.
Turkish authorities also restricted access to social networks, with Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announcing on the X social network that 37 people were arrested for social media posts which were deemed “provocative” and fell under the classification of “incitement to commit a crime.”
Authorities also seized a construction company co-owned by Imamoglu – Imamoglu Construction, Trade and Industry – and handed control over to a court.
The move against Imamoglu came after a months-long legal crackdown on opposition figures across the country which has been criticised as a politicised attempt to hurt the CHP ahead of the next presidential elections.
“We must stand against this evil as a nation,” Imamoglu said on X, calling on members of the judiciary and Erdogan’s ruling party to fight injustice.
“These events have gone beyond our parties, political ideals. The process is now concerning our people, namely your families. It is time to raise our voices,” he added.
The Turkish economy took a serious hit after the arrest of the popular opposition leader with the lira hitting a record low against the dollar. To control the situation, Turkey’s central bank sold a record amount of foreign currency, nearly $10 billion, according to bankers’ calculations cited by Reuters.
Such events are not unusual for Turkey. However, the economic ramifications could take its toll on the popularity of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The economic crisis which began in 2018 is yet to be taken seriously by the AKP, which continues to prioritize foreign policies over domestic issues.
From Syria, to Libya, Iraq and Azerbaijan, Erdogan succeeded in expanding Turkey’s influence over the past decade, relying mainly on the country’s growing military force. However, the steady deterioration of the Turkish economy could threaten all of this success.
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