Turkish police reported Wednesday that they had arrested the Iklem Imamomor tribe, the main rival of President Receptacle Taip Erdogan, as part of an investigation into the link between corruption and terrorism.
The state-run Anadoru agency reported that prosecutors also issued warrants to 100 other people. Authorities closed several roads around Istanbul and banned demonstrations in the city for four days in clear efforts to prevent protests after the arrest.
Imamol posted a video Wednesday morning, clearly responding to the move, captioning it, “a blow to the will of the nation.”
Imamoal, 53, “has been detained and is now at police headquarters,” a media aide told the Agens France Press. The aide did not have permission to speak to the media and asked not to name it.
At the same time, NetBlocks Internet Observatory said that Turkey is restricting access to multiple social media platforms, including X, YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok.
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is scheduled to hold a primary election on March 23, with Imamol expected to be selected as presidential candidate. The next presidential vote is scheduled for 2028, but it is likely that an early election will occur.
The arrest continued on Tuesday's search for Imamol's home. It came the day after the university invalidated his diploma. Obtaining a university degree is a prerequisite for running in elections under Turkish law.
Istanbul University invalidated Imamol's diploma and cited the cheating of the 1990 relocation from a private university in Cyprus to the Faculty of Business Administration in 1990. He calls the university's decision “illegal” and claims he has no authority to cancel his diploma. The university's movements are widely perceived as politically motivated.
“An era in which those who made this decision are accountable before history and justice approach. The march of those thirsty for justice, law and democracy can't be stopped,” he wrote in X.
He later raised concerns about the independence of the judicial system, suggesting that the decision was made under pressure from the Erdogan government. He said he plans to challenge the decision.
“What will I do next? I'll continue running like a lion. There's no tread, I'll run even harder,” Imamol said.
Wolfango Piccoli, the Teneo Political Risk advisory firm, said the abolition of the diploma indicates that Erdogan recognizes that he cannot secure election victory.
“The decision to cancel Imamol's diploma does not only undermine a fair electoral race by removing the strongest opponent,” Piccoli wrote in an email. “It reflects the boldness and power to determine what is and what is not by controlling the state's equipment.”
Imamol faces a series of legal challenges. In 2022 he was found guilty of insulting members of Turkey's highest election council in a lawsuit that could lead to a political ban. He appeals to his beliefs.
He has faced several other lawsuits, including allegations that he attempts to influence judicial experts investigating opposition-led local governments. The case could result in prison sentences and political bans.
He was elected Turkey's biggest city mayor in March 2019 for his historic blow to Erdogan and the President's Justice and Development Party. The party pushed for the irregularity to negate local government election results in cities of 16 million.
This challenge led to repeated elections several months later, and Imamall also won. The mayor held his seat after last year's local elections, during which his party had great benefits to Erdogan's governing party.
