Istanbul's Opposition Mayor Sentenced to 2 Years and 7 Months in Prison

Today, a court in Istanbul has rendered a verdict in the case of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Turkey's megacity, sentencing him to two years and seven months in prison for insulting the representatives of the Supreme Election Council (YSK). This was reported by Habertürk television from the courtroom.

The political figure had earlier urged Istanbul residents to gather in the Saraçhane district, where the mayor's office is located, at 16:00, when the court was to announce its decision.

“Regardless of the court's decision, I am waiting for all 16 million residents of Istanbul in Saraçhane,” he wrote on Twitter.

According to Turkish television reports, thousands of Istanbulites have gathered near the municipality. It is noted that representatives of the opposition from various cities in Turkey are heading to Istanbul. The leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, has interrupted his visit to Germany and is returning to Istanbul, as announced by the party's press service.

If the verdict is upheld by a higher body, İmamoğlu may be stripped of his position due to a five-year ban on political activity. The Istanbul mayor is considered one of the potential rivals of Turkey's current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the upcoming presidential elections in 2023.

The case against İmamoğlu was initiated following the 2019 municipal elections. He won both the first elections held on March 31, which were annulled by the YSK, and the re-election on June 23, which he won by a significant margin. After winning the elections, İmamoğlu referred to those who annulled the March 31 elections as