Istanbul mayor facing corruption allegations The Irish Times

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Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is facing corruption allegations in a new court case that could remove him from office and prevent him from running in the June presidential election.

Recent opinion polls put Mr Imamoglu ahead of incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose popularity has been eroded by Turkey’s economic crisis.

Mr Imamoglu had been the favorite in the race for the nomination of the opposition alliance led by the Republican People’s Party (CHP).

Mr Imamoglu, a former contractor, is under investigation by authorities for awarding a contract to a construction company based on nepotism rather than qualifications when he was mayor of Istanbul’s Beylikduzu district from 2014 to 2015. The case is scheduled for June 15, three days before the election. If found guilty, he could spend six years in prison and be banned from politics.

In December, another court sentenced him to three years in prison and issued a political ban for insulting Turkey’s electoral commission, which reorganized the 2019 municipal elections after the CHP had to defeat the Justice and Development party ( AKP) of Mr. Erdogans in key cities, including Istanbul. Mr. Imamoglu remains in office pending an appeal. He won the replay hands down, handing Mr Erdogan his first major defeat in the city where he launched his political career as mayor.

Both men represent Turkey’s deep secular-religious divide, which makes the outcome of this election very significant as it takes place during Turkey’s centenary celebrations.

The CHP is the oldest party in modern Turkey, established in 1919 by founding father Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The CHP remains committed to its secular, nationalist, progressive and reformist ideology and adopts pro-European and pro-NATO policies.

Since the CHP has been in opposition for two decades, the party has not been blamed for the devaluation of the Turkish currency, high inflation, soaring prices and the presence of 3.5 million Syrian refugees. These issues have turned many voters against Mr. Erdogan, who previously had the support of small towns, rural areas and staunch conservatives.

Mr Erdogans AKP was established in 2001 by figures from the fundamentalist Muslim Virtue Party, which was banned that year for violating the secular constitution. Despite accusations of secularism, the AKP won the 2002 elections and survived five other electoral challenges, while introducing sectarian policies such as imposing high taxes on alcohol, lifting the ban on headscarves for women and the promotion of religious education.

The AKP government has arrested allied criticism of ultra-nationalists, interfered in regional affairs, blocked Turkey’s membership of the European Union and angered NATO by buying Russian weapons. Without a serious challenger, Mr Erdogan would expect to win again.

The Irish Times did not receive a response to a request from the Turkish Communications Directorate to comment on the allegations against Mr Imamoglu.

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