Erdogan hits back at Western criticism over mayor ban

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Issued on: 2022-12-21 – 12:10

Istanbul (AFP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit back on Wednesday at Western criticism over the political ban imposed on Istanbul’s popular opposition mayor ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.

A court last week sentenced Ekrem Imamoglu to more than two years in prison and banned him from holding office for the same amount of time for “insulting a public official” in 2019.

The case stems from a hugely contentious election in which Imamoglu’s initial victory was overturned.

Imamoglu has emerged as one of the opposition leaders most likely to defeat Erdogan in a presidential election slated for next June.

The 52-year-old will continue to serve as mayor while his appeal works its way through the courts.

But a senior election official said Imamoglu would not be allowed to serve as president if he wins the election and the decision is upheld.

The official said a new presidential vote would then be called.

The United States led an international chorus of condemnation of the trial.

“Manipulating Politics”

The State Department said it was “deeply troubled and disappointed” while Germany called it “a blow to democracy”.

Erdogan told his loyal and enthusiastic supporters in the ruling party that foreign powers were trying to use the case to manipulate Turkish politics ahead of the vote.

“Are you looking for political engineers? Erdogan asked his supporters.

“Are you looking for foreigners who use individual crime to manipulate politics in our country?

The mayor’s condemnation sent tens of thousands of supporters onto the streets of Istanbul.

Some analysts believe this could energize the stuttering campaigns of Turkey’s opposition parties – which are still squabbling among themselves over who to face Erdogan next year.

The Turkish leader uncharacteristically refrained from commenting on the sentencing for three days.

He then distanced himself from the verdict and stressed that it could still be appealed.

Erdogan’s latest comments suggest he intends to play up his nationalist credentials by aligning the opposition with foreign forces during the election campaign.

AFP 2022

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