Escalating political tensions and continuing demonstrations across Turkey

The wave of tensions and clashes in the Turkish political scene emerged after the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu; these tensions have led to various reactions and consequences.

The reason for the political tensions

Turkish police arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Wednesday morning, March 19, 2024, a few days before he announced his candidacy for the country's 2028 presidential election.

Police claimed that Imamoglu is accused of corruption and links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

At the same time, Turkish authorities have arrested hundreds of people in a series of similar actions in recent months.

The leaders of Turkey's opposition parties have called Imamoglu's detention a political coup and have called for his immediate release.

Imamoglu is the main rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the country's upcoming elections.

Who is Imamoglu?

Ekrem Imamoglu, a 54-year-old Turkish politician, is the mayor of Istanbul; he is one of the main candidates for the 2028 presidential election.

He has surpassed Erdogan in some opinion polls about the outcome of the upcoming presidential election in Turkey.

Erdogan has reached his two-term limit as he previously served as prime minister and would have to hold early elections or change the constitution if he wants to run again.

Ankara Mayor Supports Istanbul Mayor

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş has announced his support for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been arrested on charges of terrorism and corruption, and said he is suspending his decision to run in the upcoming presidential election.

Yavaş's statement said he will not accept injustice and will stand by Imamoglu.

Support for Imamoğlu has gone beyond Turkey's borders, with politicians from various countries expressing their support for him.

Protests Continue in Various Turkish Cities

Turkish media reported that despite a ban on gatherings and demonstrations in the country's cities, protest marches are underway in various Turkish cities, including Istanbul, Ankara, Trabzon and Izmir.

Istanbul police clashed with protesters in an attempt to disperse them over the arrest of the city's mayor; According to some reports, Turkish security forces used riot gear, including tear gas, to confront the protesters.

Despite the restrictions, thousands of students gathered on the campus of Istanbul University.

Meanwhile, there were reports of protests in the city of Gaziantep, with several protesters injured.

The city of Trabzon, Turkey’s Black Sea tourism capital, also expressed solidarity with the city and its people; the streets of the city also witnessed demonstrations protesting Erdogan’s policies.

Mass arrests of Imamoglu supporters

The Turkish Interior Minister claimed on Thursday, March 20, 2024, that he had arrested 37 suspects on charges of publishing inflammatory posts inciting crime and hatred regarding the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

He wrote in a message on the social network X that Turkish authorities had identified 261 social media accounts, including 62 overseas accounts, for inflammatory posts following Imamoglu's arrest, as well as 105 other people, and were continuing efforts to track down the remaining suspects.

Lira collapse

According to Reuters, the Turkish lira fell as much as 14.5 percent following Imamoglu's arrest, but recovered some of the losses and was trading down 7.4 percent at 39.40 lira against the U.S. dollar.

William Jackson, emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, said: "The sharp decline in the Turkish lira makes it difficult for the central bank to reduce inflation, while raising important questions about the Turkish government's ability to maintain investor confidence in its major reform program."