Erdogan dismisses criticism as opposition ‘theatrics’
Police hold back protesters during a march in support of arrested Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul on Thursday. Photograph: Chris McGrath/Getty ImagesThousands of Turks increased their protests on Thursday despite a ban on street gatherings over what they called the undemocratic detention of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as the opposition sought to pin the blame on president Tayyip Erdogan.
The move against the popular two-term mayor caps a months-long legal crackdown on opposition figures that has been criticised as a politicised attempt to hurt their electoral prospects and silence dissent, charges the government denies.Ceasefire is the only option for Hamas as Israel renews attacks He said that any move barring Mr Imamoglu from running for president in the next election would only strengthen the opposition’s support, adding the CHP will appoint him its candidate on Sunday at a scheduled vote.
Elections are not scheduled until 2028 but would need to come earlier if Mr Erdogan , who has run Turkey for 22 years, wants to run again. Mr Imamoglu leads the president in some polls. Ankara imposed a four-day ban on gatherings and restricted access to some social media to restrict communications, with dozens of people detained over what authorities called provocative posts.From inside, Mr Imamoglu called on members of the judiciary and Mr Erdogan’s ruling party to fight the injustice of his detention.
But crowds in some cities have been chanting antigovernment slogans and, in Istanbul, they hung banners of Mr Imamoglu and the nation’s founding leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk alongside Turkish flags.
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