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From his cell in Silivri prison, Istanbul’s embattled mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, told AFP that the Turkish government’s attempts to dismantle the political opposition will fail to suppress the national hunger for reform.
The 54-year-old leader asserted that an “irreversible process” for a transition of power has begun, claiming that neither the ruling party nor the judiciary can halt the momentum of a public fatigued by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s long-standing rule.
İmamoğlu’s comments arrive just ahead of a major corruption trial on Monday, a case his supporters denounce as a politically motivated manoeuvre to disqualify him from the upcoming presidential race.
Since his arrest nearly a year ago—which triggered Türkiye’s largest protests in a decade—the legal pressure on the main opposition CHP party has intensified, resulting in the imprisonment of 15 mayors.
Despite being “taken hostage” by the state, İmamoğlu argues that the movement has only grown stronger and more unified.
The mayor faces daunting legal hurdles, including a challenge to the validity of his university degree, which is a constitutional requirement for the presidency.
While acknowledging that his own chances of running may be slim, he believes the electorate is now less focused on a specific candidate’s identity and more on the collective “reflex to protect democracy.”
He remains optimistic, stating that his party has emerged strengthened over the past year and would secure victory if an election were held today.
