Last Tuesday, a Turkish court convicted the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, of insulting public servants and sentenced him to more than two years in prison.
Imamoglu, who is a member of the CHP, the main opposition party, was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019, after a stormy election campaign. The results of those elections were at first rejected by the election committee, and a second round followed, with the results much more clearly in his favor. A few weeks later, Imamoglu spoke out against those who invalidated the results of the first round of elections and even called them "idiots." Based on this statement, a legal process was opened that ended on Tuesday with his conviction. The state attorney has already appealed the sentence, which he claims was too light. For his part, Imamoglu did not accept the conviction and has appealed it.
It is impossible not to connect the court's decision with the parliamentary and presidential elections that are scheduled for 2023. Imamoglu is considered one of the main opponents of the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and is capable, at least according to public opinion polls, of defeating him. His conviction, if not overturned, will also include moral turpitude. If Imamoglu’s appeal is not accepted, he will cease to be the mayor of Istanbul and will not be able to be elected to the Turkish presidency. This fact presents a new dilemma to the opposition, which seems to be having difficulty in recent weeks agreeing on a candidate to run for president against Erdogan and on a common strategy.
On the other hand, Imamoglu’s conviction energizes the opposition, which found an issue around which to unite. A number of public events and demonstrations have already been organized to protest the judges' decision, which is presented by Imamoglu and his supporters as a political decision that goes against the will of the people. For many people in Turkey, these events create a feeling of déjà vu: in 1998, Erdogan himself was convicted in a controversial decision when he was mayor of Istanbul. His entry into prison made him an extremely popular figure and paved the way for him to become Prime Minister, and then President.
Last Tuesday, a Turkish court convicted the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, of insulting public servants and sentenced him to more than two years in prison.
Imamoglu, who is a member of the CHP, the main opposition party, was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019, after a stormy election campaign. The results of those elections were at first rejected by the election committee, and a second round followed, with the results much more clearly in his favor. A few weeks later, Imamoglu spoke out against those who invalidated the results of the first round of elections and even called them "idiots." Based on this statement, a legal process was opened that ended on Tuesday with his conviction. The state attorney has already appealed the sentence, which he claims was too light. For his part, Imamoglu did not accept the conviction and has appealed it.
It is impossible not to connect the court's decision with the parliamentary and presidential elections that are scheduled for 2023. Imamoglu is considered one of the main opponents of the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and is capable, at least according to public opinion polls, of defeating him. His conviction, if not overturned, will also include moral turpitude. If Imamoglu’s appeal is not accepted, he will cease to be the mayor of Istanbul and will not be able to be elected to the Turkish presidency. This fact presents a new dilemma to the opposition, which seems to be having difficulty in recent weeks agreeing on a candidate to run for president against Erdogan and on a common strategy.
On the other hand, Imamoglu’s conviction energizes the opposition, which found an issue around which to unite. A number of public events and demonstrations have already been organized to protest the judges' decision, which is presented by Imamoglu and his supporters as a political decision that goes against the will of the people. For many people in Turkey, these events create a feeling of déjà vu: in 1998, Erdogan himself was convicted in a controversial decision when he was mayor of Istanbul. His entry into prison made him an extremely popular figure and paved the way for him to become Prime Minister, and then President.