The opposition denounces accusations of “terrorism” aimed at sidelining Ekrem Imamoglu, the popular mayor of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city. He emerges as one of the potential rivals of President Erdogan, in difficulty due to the economic crisis.
As Turkey sinks into the economic crisis, tension mounts between the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his opposition, especially the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, who ravished the municipality from the AKP in the elections. of the summer of 2019 and which prances at the top of the polls in the event of a hypothetical electoral duel against the Head of State.
On the orders of the Interior Ministry, specially appointed inspectors were sent to investigate the management of Istanbul city hall, including members of the AKP, underlines the nationalist opposition daily New Age. In question, the alleged presence of “577 terrorists” detected by the Ministry of the Interior among municipal agents recruited by the new administration.
Tarnish the reputation of the town hall
“No police operation has yet been launched against these people. Some names have leaked into the press. We checked, they have no criminal record. In the name of national security, we ask: who are these 577 people? ” ironically the spokesperson for the municipality, quoted by the left-wing daily One day.
The opposition fears that the power is using accusations of “terrorism” in an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the town hall, even with the aim of dismissing elected officials and replacing them with a guardian appointed by the State, as is the case throughout the eastern part of the country, mainly Kurdish, where elected mayors were all gradually imprisoned and replaced by administrators.
“These fears are unfounded, we need to investigate
[…]