Turkey: investigation against the mayor of Istanbul for "disrespect" towards a sultan
Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, December 9, 2019. AFP Photos / Ozan Kose
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The Turkish authorities have opened an investigation against the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, one of the main rivals of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom they accuse in particular of having been "
disrespectful
" by holding his hands in the back during the visit of the mausoleum of a sultan.
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It is one of the two main rivals of President Erdogan who is in the sights of the Turkish authorities.
The mayor of Istanbul, the only one - according to opinion polls - with the mayor of Ankara to be able to beat the current Turkish president in the event of a presidential election, has an investigation opened against him for two reasons.
Until now, the standoff between Ekrem Imamoglu and the government had remained on the political ground. Two years before the presidential election, the mayor is summoned to explain what is considered to be an “
disrespectful
”
attitude
: having held his hands behind his back during the visit to the mausoleum of Mehmet 2. This sultan who conquered Istanbul in the 15th century is a still much admired ruler in Turkey.
Another subject on which Ekrem Imamoglu will have to explain himself to the investigators: his visits to HDP mayors, visits during which he is accused of having made remarks "
praising criminals
". Pro Kurdish, classified on the left, this party is today under the threat of a ban: the procedure is suspended, but the ultranationalist ally of the party in power demands its return. Many today in Turkey consider that this party is a political showcase of the PPK, a group
described as "
terrorist
" by Ankara
and its Western allies.
Ekrem Imamoglu inflicted a humiliating defeat on the head of state
in the 2019 municipal elections
, ending 25 years of Islamo-conservative rule at the head of Turkey's largest city.
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Turkey
Recep Tayyip Erdogan