Istanbul city assembly elects Imamoglu’s successor
nuri aslan
Istanbul's municipal council elected Nuri Aslan as the interim mayor on Wednesday, following the jailing of elected mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is held pending trial on corruption charges. Both Aslan and Imamoglu are members of the main opposition, People’s Republican Party (CHP). CHP retaining the municipality of Turkey’s richest city is a tactical retreat for Erdogan in the face of swelling street protests. He allegedly intended to replace deposed mayor and his principle rival in the next presidential elections with an AKP appointee to dole out rant to the vast crony network operating in the city, as well as Islamic tariqats.
[caption id="attachment_19413" align="aligncenter" width="1195"] Istanbul mayor-pro-tem Nuri Aslan[/caption]
Imamoglu was sacked from his position last week following a court order on corruption charges. He is seen as the main rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming 2028 presidential race. His arrest has triggered nationwide protests.
The opposition-run municipality elected Aslan as the interim mayor to prevent the government from appoint a trustee to run the municipality, as the state has done in the past, especially in Kurdish-majority areas.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia_KCIM06GA[/embed]
Istanbul's 314-member council, where the CHP holds a majority, elected the party's Nuri Aslan to run the city with 177 votes, according to NTV. The interim mayor will run the city for the remainder of Imamoglu's term, as he awaits trial.
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the CHP, said on Sunday that 14,850,000 people voted for Imamoglu in the party’s primary as presidential candidate.
Imamoglu’s arrest comes days after he was detained as part of an extensive investigation into a criminal organization. Prosecutors say that 99 suspects, including Imamoglu, were involved in bribery, extortion, fraud, unlawful data acquisition, and tender rigging, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.
In a statement Imamoglu delivered in court that was relayed by Anadolu, the Istanbul mayor dismissed the accusations as politically motivated and part of a broader “conspiracy” by prosecutors. “Every page they write is garbage,” he said, slamming the alleged terrorism links as “offensive.”
Several Western countries have condemned the sacking of Imamoglu and Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Washington on Tuesday that his country is concerned about the recent crackdown on protesters in Turkey.
Speaking at the Istanbul Municipality building in Sarachane, CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel, who visited Imamoglu in jail a day ago, said the interim mayor had blocked Erdogan's desire to appoint a trustee at the municipality.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qnXs2jOFCo&t=52s[/embed]
"The struggle will expand to all of Turkey from now on, but one leg will always be in Istanbul and one hand will always be on Sarachane," Ozel said, adding the public's resistance had thwarted what the opposition calls a "coup attempt" against it.
Interim Mayor Aslan, speaking alongside Ozel, said the position was entrusted to him temporarily.
"Our mayor, elected with the votes of Istanbul, will come back as soon as possible. We, along with our chairman, will take care of what he entrusted us with and give it back to him," he said.
Erdogan’s quest to grab CHP municipalities isn’t over. An investigation into accusations of Ankara municipality overpaying for public concerts could eventually involve CHP mayor Mansur Yavas.
Press sources
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Istanbul mayor-pro-tem Nuri Aslan[/caption]
Imamoglu was sacked from his position last week following a court order on corruption charges. He is seen as the main rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming 2028 presidential race. His arrest has triggered nationwide protests.
The opposition-run municipality elected Aslan as the interim mayor to prevent the government from appoint a trustee to run the municipality, as the state has done in the past, especially in Kurdish-majority areas.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia_KCIM06GA[/embed]
Istanbul's 314-member council, where the CHP holds a majority, elected the party's Nuri Aslan to run the city with 177 votes, according to NTV. The interim mayor will run the city for the remainder of Imamoglu's term, as he awaits trial.
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the CHP, said on Sunday that 14,850,000 people voted for Imamoglu in the party’s primary as presidential candidate.
Imamoglu’s arrest comes days after he was detained as part of an extensive investigation into a criminal organization. Prosecutors say that 99 suspects, including Imamoglu, were involved in bribery, extortion, fraud, unlawful data acquisition, and tender rigging, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.
In a statement Imamoglu delivered in court that was relayed by Anadolu, the Istanbul mayor dismissed the accusations as politically motivated and part of a broader “conspiracy” by prosecutors. “Every page they write is garbage,” he said, slamming the alleged terrorism links as “offensive.”
Several Western countries have condemned the sacking of Imamoglu and Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Washington on Tuesday that his country is concerned about the recent crackdown on protesters in Turkey.
Speaking at the Istanbul Municipality building in Sarachane, CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel, who visited Imamoglu in jail a day ago, said the interim mayor had blocked Erdogan's desire to appoint a trustee at the municipality.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qnXs2jOFCo&t=52s[/embed]
"The struggle will expand to all of Turkey from now on, but one leg will always be in Istanbul and one hand will always be on Sarachane," Ozel said, adding the public's resistance had thwarted what the opposition calls a "coup attempt" against it.
Interim Mayor Aslan, speaking alongside Ozel, said the position was entrusted to him temporarily.
"Our mayor, elected with the votes of Istanbul, will come back as soon as possible. We, along with our chairman, will take care of what he entrusted us with and give it back to him," he said.
Erdogan’s quest to grab CHP municipalities isn’t over. An investigation into accusations of Ankara municipality overpaying for public concerts could eventually involve CHP mayor Mansur Yavas.
Press sources
IMPORTANT DİSCLOSURE: PA Turkey intends to inform Turkey watchers with diverse views and opinions. Articles in our website may not necessarily represent the view of our editorial board or count as endorsement.
Follow our English language YouTube videos @ REAL TURKEY: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKpFJB4GFiNkhmpVZQ_d9Rg
And content at Twitter: @AtillaEng
Facebook: Real Turkey Channel: https://www.facebook.com/realturkeychannel/
