Istanbul elects Aslan interim mayor amid ongoing demonstrations over Imamoglu arrest

Local broadcaster NTV and Turkish news outlet Anadolu reported on Wednesday that Aslan, from Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), was chosen to run the city for the remainder of Imamoglu’s term, as he awaits trial.

In the first round of voting, Aslan won 173 votes, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) candidate, Zeynel Abidin Okul, won 123. In the second round of the election, Aslan received 177 votes, while Okul received 125.

As both candidates were unable to win the two-thirds majority required to win the vote, a third round of voting began. In that vote, where candidates would need a simple majority to win, Aslan received 177 votes, Okul received 125 votes, securing Aslan’s election.

Speaking at the Istanbul Municipality building in Sarachane, CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel said the interim mayoral election had blocked Erdogan’s push to appoint a trustee at the municipality.

“The struggle will expand to all of Turkiye from now on, but one leg will always be in Istanbul and one hand will always be on Sarachane,” Ozel stated, adding that resistance from the public had thwarted what the opposition calls a “coup attempt” against it.

Aslan, speaking alongside Ozel, reiterated his new position was temporary.

“Our mayor, elected with the votes of Istanbul, will come back as soon as possible. We, along with our chairman, will take care of what he entrusted us with and give it back to him,” he continued.

This comes as demonstrations have been held daily across the country after Imamoglu was detained a week ago. His supporters say they will continue protesting despite authorities cracking down on gatherings and arresting hundreds of people, including journalists.

By Tuesday afternoon, police had detained 1,418 people, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. Among them were 11 Turkish journalists covering the protests, seven of whom were remanded in custody.

Erdogan stressed on Wednesday that his government would not get worked up over what he described as “provocations” by the main opposition.

Erdogan has remained defiant a week into the protests, denouncing the rallies as “street terror”.

“Those who spread terror in the streets and want to set fire to this country have nowhere to go. The path they have taken is a dead end,” he has noted.

Government officials have rejected accusations that the legal action against the opposition figure is politically motivated and insisted that Turkiye’s courts operate independently.

Protests erupted on March 19 after Imamoglu’s arrest in a graft and “terrorism” probe which his supporters have denounced as a “coup”. The “terrorism” charge has been dismissed by the court for the time being.

Vast crowds have participated in street demonstrations since then, defying protest bans in Istanbul, the capital Ankara and Izmir with the unrest spreading across the country.

In a possible shift in tactics, the main opposition Republican People’s (CHP) party announced it was not calling for another nightly protest on Wednesday outside the Istanbul mayor’s office.

Most nights, some of the protests have turned into running battles with riot police, whose tough crackdown has alarmed rights groups.