Turkish mayor's conviction unites opposition, but challenger to Erdogan unclear
Turkey's opposition leaders are rallying around the case of Ekrem Imamoglu, whose conviction seems to have kicked off the campaign for next year’s elections.
ISTANBUL — The prison sentence and political ban handed to the opposition mayor of Istanbul has thrown Turkish politics into turmoil as people grapple with the implications for next year’s presidential election.
The sentence issued Wednesday against Ekrem Imamoglu of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is widely considered a bid by the government to prevent him from standing against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a vote scheduled for June.
Most polls had found Imamoglu, who won control of Turkey’s largest city in a 2019 landslide, one of the most likely opposition candidates to defeat Erdogan as he seeks a third term.
The political ban, if upheld on appeal, will bar him from serving in office during the prison term, which could be suspended. A date for the appeal is yet to be set, so it could happen before or after the election.
