Türkiye: Street unrest continues with Erdogan blaming the opposition

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused the political opposition of sinking the Turkish economy, commenting on the largest wave of protests the country has seen in more than a decade, which erupted following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

Erdoğan’s remarks came days after ongoing protests over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, and after İmamoğlu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) called for a boycott of companies it says support the government.

Erdoğan said the opposition is so desperate that it will throw the country and the nation into fire.

In a speech to members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdogan added that sabotage targeting the Turkish economy will be held accountable in the courts.

İmamoğlu, who was arrested a week ago, faces charges of corruption and supporting a terrorist group within the Istanbul municipality, along with 90 other suspects.

The court ordered his detention on Sunday; however, a trial date hasn’t been announced yet.

Many consider the case against İmamoğlu, who is seen as the biggest challenger to Erdoğan’s 22-year rule, to be politically motivated, but the government says the judiciary is free from political influence.

The evidence against İmamoğlu hasn’t been officially revealed.

Several Turkish media outlets have reported that its largely based on secret witnesses.

The use of such testimonies has been seen in previous criminal cases against opposition politicians.

The leader of the opposition Good Party (iYi), Musavat Dervişoğlu, questioned the scarcity of public evidence related to the corruption charges.

He told his deputies, “Dozens of inspectors have gone, and 1,300 inspections have been conducted, and none of these inspections have yielded anything”.

Istanbul municipality members voted on Wednesday to choose an acting mayor to replace İmamoğlu, with Republican People’s Party (CHP) members choosing Nuri Aslan, İmamoğlu’s deputy, as his deputy.

While the CHP said it wouldn’t hold mass rallies at the city hall, students across Türkiye continued to protest.

Demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and smaller cities and towns were largely peaceful, with protesters demanding the release of İmamoğlu and an end to democratic decline.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 1,418 people were arrested over the past week in connection with the protests.

Egitim-Sen, a labor union representing university teachers and lecturers, said its representative at Istanbul University had been arrested.

Left-wing student groups said some of their members were also detained at their homes.

Türkiye isn’t scheduled to hold another presidential election until 2028, but Erdoğan is likely to call early elections to seek another term.

İmamoğlu has been confirmed as the CHP candidate, and has performed well in recent polls against Erdoğan.

His election as mayor of Istanbul in 2019 was a major blow to Erdogan and his party, which had controlled Türkiye’s largest city for 25 years.