Istanbul, March 26 (IANS) The Istanbul City Council elected Nuri Aslan from the opposition party as acting Mayor on Wednesday, following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the Istanbul Municipality announced.
Aslan, the candidate of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), led the voting in the first two rounds but failed to secure the required majority.
In the third round, where a simple majority was needed, Aslan was elected with 177 votes. His rival, Zeynel Abidin Okul from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), received 125 votes.
Aslan had previously been appointed as the first Deputy Mayor by the Istanbul Municipal Council on April 15, 2024.
Imamoglu was detained on March 19, and then formally arrested and suspended from office on corruption charges on Sunday. Since then, Imamoglu, who denies the accusations, has been held at Marmara Prison in Istanbul’s Silivri district.
Imamoglu, from the CHP, won a second term as Istanbul Mayor in March 2024, defeating the AKP candidate, Murat Kurum.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that any attempt to sabotage Turkey’s economy and public peace would be held accountable in courts of law.
“Any kind of sabotage against the Turkish economy and the peace of the nation will be held accountable before the judiciary,” he said when addressing members of parliament from his ruling AK Party at the parliament.
He stressed that all necessary legal actions would be taken to maintain economic stability. “We will continue to fight against any economic attack targeting Turkey,” he said.
Erdogan addressed corruption allegations within Istanbul’s municipalities of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and said, “It seems that Istanbul’s metropolitan and some district municipalities are writing the book on corruption, theft, and bribery.”
“Once the major scandals come to light, they won’t even be able to face their people, let alone the public,” he said.
Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu’s detention has sparked mass protests, while the foreign exchange market has experienced significant fluctuations following the developments.
–IANS
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