Turkish Interior Ministry temporarily suspends Istanbul mayor
The Turkish Interior Ministry has temporarily suspended Ekrem Imamoglu as Istanbul’s mayor following his formal arrest in a court investigation.
An Istanbul court formally placed Imamoglu from the opposition social democratic Republican People's Party (CHP) under arrest in a graft probe, four days after his detention sparked Turkey's worst unrest in over a decade.
"Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of the metropolitan municipality of Istanbul... has been suspended from office," said a statement from the Turkish Interior Ministry on Sunday.
CHP, which has the majority of Istanbul Municipality's council, is now expected to elect an acting mayor in the coming days to fill in for Imamoglu.
In the meantime, Imamoglu remains under arrest along with several others for allegedly taking bribes and stealing people's personal information. Also, a second case has been opened on "terror-related" allegations.
Imamoglu, a potential presidential rival to Turkey's longtime president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has denied all the charges filed against him.
Imamoglu likened cases lodged against him to abortive attempts for his political "execution."
He said he would "stand resolute" for the people of Turkey "and all who uphold democracy and justice worldwide."
The seasoned politician vowed not to give up and urged his supporters not to lose hope.
CHP claimed the arrest of Imamoglu, alongside 105 others who supported him, was “a coup against our next president.”
Imamoglu's unexpected incarceration by police has sparked widespread protests across the country, with over 300 arrests reported so far.
Erdogan, who hails from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and has been in power for 22 years, has condemned the protests.
He accuses Imamoglu and CHP of trying to "disturb the peace, and polarize our people."
Erdogan described the widespread protests which have reached to cities in most of Turkey's provinces as "street terror" that will not be tolerated by the Ankara government.
The next presidential election in Turkey is due in 2028.
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