The Istanbul court also ordered Imamoglu, a political opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to be barred from political activity during his sentence. According to Imamoglu’s lawyer, Kemal Polat, this is “a pathetic approach to democracy and the rule of law”. Polat has already announced that he will appeal, allowing Imamoglu to remain mayor for the time being. In Turkey, people sentenced to less than four years in prison rarely end up behind bars.
Imamoglu’s conviction is noteworthy as he is a possible candidate to run against Erdogan in next year’s presidential election. Imamoglu won the 2019 Istanbul mayoral election, which was a setback for Erdogan’s AK Party, who had previously served as mayor of Istanbul. After reports of irregularities, the electoral council decided to re-elect, which Imamoglu won. He called the re-election damaging to Turkey’s international reputation and the responsible officials foolish.
Rule of law under pressure
Erdogan and his AK Party have had a growing influence on Turkish democracy in recent years. Erdogan has centralized power and lobbied independent institutions such as the judiciary and the press since he took over the country in 2014. Critics point out that Erdogan is pursuing increasingly authoritarian policies and undermining the rule of law.