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Turkish police have detained Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was shortly expected to be announced as the main opposition challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
It was not immediately clear why İmamoğlu was detained. He faces a spate of criminal probes, mostly for his political speeches, and has accused the government of using the judiciary to maintain power.
“Hundreds of police are at my door,” İmamoğlu said in a voice message shared by his office. “This immoral and tyrannical approach will undoubtedly be overturned by the will and resilience of our people.”
İmamoğlu is one of Turkey’s most popular political figures and won re-election as mayor of the city of 16mn people by a wide margin less than a year ago.
Opinion polls show him ahead of Erdoğan in a hypothetical contest for the country’s top office.
His Republican People’s party will hold a primary on Sunday to name its presidential candidate, and İmamoğlu was the sole contender.
Elections are scheduled for 2028, but the party has said naming its candidate now should compel parliament to call a snap poll.
İmamoğlu’s detention comes a day after the state Istanbul University cancelled his higher education degree, which would disqualify him from entering the presidential race if not overturned on appeal.
This is a developing story
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