Istanbul mayor vows to fight on as court formalises arrest

Istanbul mayor vows to fight on as court formalises arrest

Riot police have fought running battles with protesters since Thursday night

Istanbul's embattled opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, vowed on Sunday to fight on after a court formalised his arrest -- a move that has sparked Turkey's worst street unrest in more than a decade. 

Four days after he was detained up in a pre-dawn raid by hundreds of police, a court formally placed Imamoglu under arrest in a graft investigation, one of his lawyers told AFP, vowing to appeal.

But the court decided against formalising his arrest in a separate "terror" probe, he said.

The rulings came after a fourth night of street protests across Turkey that descended into heavy clashes with riot police in Istanbul and the capital Ankara, AFP correspondents said.

The court's decision came as the main opposition CHP party cast its ballots in a long-planned primary to elect Imamoglu as its candidate in the 2028 presidential election.

Observers said it was the looming primary that triggered the move against Imamoglu, widely seen as the only politician capable of challenging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The move against him sparked protests that quickly spread from Istanbul to at least 55 of Turkey's 81 provinces, with police arresting 323 people overnight, officials said.

In a post on X shortly after the court decision, Imamoglu vowed to fight on, urging his supporters not to lose heart. 

"We will erase this black stain on our democracy," he wrote in a message transmitted via his lawyers.

"I will not be bowed."

- 'They have stolen our vote' -

As the court drama played out, voters flocked to ballot boxes in 81 cities, after the CHP opened up the poll to anyone who wanted to participate. 

Voting began at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) and was to end nine hours later.

Several Istanbul polling stations were packed with people, according to AFP correspondents and footage posted on social media. 

"Whenever there's a strong opponent (to Erdogan), they are always jailed," said 29-year-old voter Ferhat, who declined to give his surname.

"There is a dictatorship in Turkey right now, nothing else. It's politics in name only," he told AFP near City Hall.

Many people expressed anger over the move against a mayor whom they had elected. 

"They have literally stolen our vote. It brings tears to my eyes," 70-year-old Sukru Ilker told AFP.

Ilker said protesters didn't want "to confront the police" but only to protect the candidate the city had voted for.

Ayten Oktay, a 63-year-old pharmacist, said there was no going back. 

"Now the Turkish nation has woken up. The protests will definitely continue after this. We will defend our rights until the end," she said.

- 'A great awakening' -

Casting her ballot early on Sunday, Dilek Kaya Imamoglu urged the country to show its support for her husband. 

"We are casting our vote to support President Ekrem -- for democracy, justice and the future," she wrote on X, vowing to "never give up".

Earlier, she met him briefly at the court with CHP leader Ozgur Ozel.

Ozel said the mayor was in good spirits.

"He said this process had led to a great awakening for Turkey, which he was happy about," said Ozel, who put Saturday's turnout at the Istanbul protest at more than half a million.

Riot police used rubber bullets, pepper spray and percussion grenades on the Istanbul protesters. In Ankara, they also used water cannon. 

Saturday night's protests began shortly after Imamoglu was taken to the courthouse to answer prosecutors' questions relating to the two probes.

Questioning began at 7:30 pm and ended 12 hours later, his legal team said.

The move against Imamoglu has badly hurt the lira and caused chaos on Turkey's financial markets, where the benchmark BIST 100 index closed nearly eight percent lower on Friday.

The unrest has spread rapidly, despite a ban on protests in Turkey's three largest cities and a warning from Erdogan that the authorities would not tolerate "street terror".

bur-hmw/gil

Originally published as Istanbul mayor vows to fight on as court formalises arrest