Istanbul, 20 March 2025 (dpa/MIA) — Demonstrations against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu continued in Turkey on Wednesday evening, with thousands of people defying a protest ban in Istanbul alone, according to a dpa reporter at the scene.

Turkish authorities earlier on Wednesday detained the leading opposition politician, who on Sunday was set to be nominated as the presidential candidate for the social democratic CHP.

The protesters gathered in front of Istanbul's city administration amid a heavy police presence.

People also took to the streets in the capital Ankara, broadcaster Halk TV reported.

Students and police clashed at Ankara's ODTÜ University, with demonstrators reportedly taken into custody.

Charges against İmamoğlu include suspicion of membership in a criminal organization, extortion, bribery, fraud, bid rigging and aiding a terrorist group - the banned Kurdish Workers' Party PKK.

İmamoğlu stated in a video on X that hundreds of police officers were outside his door, describing the situation as a tyranny. He was taken to a police station and media reports indicated that his residence was searched.

His main opposition party warned against an attempted coup and called for nationwide protests. According to the state news agency Anadolu, at least 87 other individuals were arrested alongside İmamoğlu, with investigations underway against a total of 106 people.

The mayor's university degree, a prerequisite for running for president according to the Turkish constitution, was revoked, state broadcaster TRT reported on Tuesday.

İmamoğlu's wife, Dilek İmamoğlu, holds Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responsible for her husband's detention.

The real reason for his detainment is that he defeated his challengers at the ballot box, she said said in a video message.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described İmamoğlu's detention as extremely worrying, saying that as a member of the Council of Europe and an EU accession candidate, Turkey must respect democratic values and in particular the rights of elected officials.

CHP calls detention an attempted coup, calls for protests

İmamoğlu was set to be nominated as the CHP's presidential candidate on Sunday. The next presidential elections in Turkey are scheduled to take place in 2028.

Erdoğan is currently not allowed to run as president again at the regular date in 2028 unless parliament agrees to early elections. His party and its allies cannot initiate this without opposition votes.

Erdoğan initially made no comments and did not address the matter during a speech in the evening.

In Turkey, mayors who are the subject of terrorist investigations have often been replaced by government-affiliated administrators.

The CHP condemned the move to detain İmamoğlu as an attempted coup against the next potential president as it called for protests.

CHP party leader Özgür Özel charged that Turkey is currently experiencing "one coup attempt after another against the potential president."

Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç described calls for street protests and the coup rhetoric as "unacceptable." He also defended the detention and probe into İmamoğlu as part of an independent investigation, saying it cannot be linked to Erdoğan.

The governor's office of the Istanbul province imposed a four-day ban on demonstrations, gatherings and news coverage until Sunday, the day İmamoğlu is to be nominated as the presidential candidate.

Despite the ban, hundreds gathered in front of the city administration building to protest the arrest. Students also protested at Istanbul University. Media reported the use of tear gas by the police. Dozens of protesters were detained.

Turkish media also showed footage of protest marches in which demonstrators chanted "Dictator Erdoğan" and demanded that his government resign.

Turkish opposition calls Erdoğan 'a coward'

Previously, Ali Mahir Başarır, the CHP parliamentary group's deputy chair, called Erdoğan "a coward," saying his manipulation of the judiciary led to the detention of İmamoğlu.

During a parliamentary general assembly, he accused the Turkish president of attempting to switch from democracy to "autocracy" with "dirty court rulings."

"I am calling out one man. You will go down with your tyranny. You will go down with the response of 86 million [Turks]."

"You are coward!"

The speaker adjourned the session, after which CHP lawmakers left the parliament, carrying Turkish flags and chanting as they walked to CHP headquarters some 8 kilometres away.

On Wednesday, several social networks and short message services were only partially usable in the country.

Many Turks reported restrictions on platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Whatsapp, Signal and Telegram.

Market reacts

The political turmoil has pushed the value of the national currency, the lira to a record low against the US dollar. It also fell against the euro on Wednesday, as stocks in Istanbul dropped 6%.

The lira pushed past 40 to the dollar for the first time.

The detention fuelled investor concerns over Erdoğan's grip on power, with analysts suggesting the move could prevent İmamoğlu from running in the 2028 presidential election.

The market tumult erased recent gains from favourable inflation data and hopes for improved EU relations.