Turkey: New Arrests in Opposition-Run Municipalities

SadaNews - The Turkish authorities have carried out two new arrest campaigns in the municipalities of Istanbul and Üsküdar, during which 19 employees were detained as part of the ongoing investigations into corruption and bid-rigging, which previously led to the suspension of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

In a security operation targeting the road maintenance and repair directorates, as well as the electronic systems directorate in Istanbul Municipality, police arrested 12 employees from the two directorates on Friday.

Ongoing Campaigns

This is the 12th operation in which officials and employees of Istanbul Municipality and its related administrations have been arrested since the detention of İmamoğlu on March 19, 2026.

An Istanbul prosecutor's office statement indicated that 12 out of 13 wanted individuals had been apprehended, with one person being outside the country, as part of the ongoing investigations concerning allegations of bid manipulation via irregular and fictitious bidding systems in several tenders.

On Friday, May 8, Turkish authorities arrested 29 officials and workers from a company responsible for tree planting and garden maintenance in Istanbul Municipality, under the same charges.

Alongside the security operation in Istanbul Municipality, seven employees from Üsküdar Municipality, associated with the "Republican People's Party," the largest opposition party in Istanbul, were arrested in connection with an investigation concerning allegations of "approving licenses for buildings constructed illegally and obtaining financial gains from construction projects under the municipality's jurisdiction."

Authorities had previously arrested 21 individuals, including the deputy mayor of Üsküdar and several officials from its administrations, on April 10.

Lawsuit Against the 'Republican People's Party'

At the same time, a primary court in Istanbul postponed the consideration of a lawsuit challenging the invalidation of the elections for the branch administration of the 'Republican People's Party' during the 38th General Assembly held in November 2023, where Özgür Çelik was elected as the party's branch president.

The court decided to maintain the appointed trustees managing the party's branch under the leadership of former deputy, Gürsel Tekin, and postponed the case to July 10.

The 'Republican People's Party' faces a lawsuit for "absolute invalidation" aimed at overturning the results of its 38th General Assembly, in which Özgür Özil was elected as the party leader succeeding former president Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

The Ankara primary court dismissed the lawsuit filed by several party members close to Kılıçdaroğlu. However, the criminal aspect of the case remains ongoing, and the court decided to postpone the hearing until July 1.

Detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, along with 11 other party officials and members, including the Istanbul branch president, Özgür Çelik, faces charges of influencing delegates to vote for Özil during the general assembly in exchange for money and promises of municipal positions.

Özil Calls for Early Elections

The party asserts that the campaign targeting it and its municipalities, which began following its sweeping victory in the local elections on March 31, 2024, and the announcement of İmamoğlu's candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, is "politically motivated" aimed at removing İmamoğlu from competing with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the presidency, while the government claims it does not interfere in judicial matters.

Özgür Özil made a fresh call for early parliamentary and presidential elections ahead of the scheduled date in 2028. During an event for his party in Izmir (western Turkey) on Friday, he stated: "I tell Erdoğan: You still describe the 'Republican People's Party' as garbage, pits, corruption, and theft. Even if you speak while asleep, you'll find 30 television channels broadcasting your speeches live. You have done much and committed many injustices. Come and put the ballot boxes before this people, whether by the end of June or early September, for early elections, and let’s see if the people will believe you or believe us."

He added: "If the people believe what you say, they will elect you, and you will serve for another five years, and you will look to the future, and if my party loses the election, I won’t stay another minute and I’ll retire from politics. Come out and face us, we believe in the wisdom of the people, their far-sightedness, and their good intentions."

In this context, the leader of the nationalist "Victory Party," Ümit Özdağ, responded to the statements made by the leader of the "Democracy and Progress Party," Ali Babacan, stating: "We do not want to leave the country to the 'Republican People's Party', which is preoccupied with its internal problems."

Özdağ, through his account on the 'X' platform, urged Babacan to remember that his party's deputies in the current parliament are primarily those who won through the 'Republican People's Party' lists in the May 2023 elections, calling on him to show "loyalty" by supporting the party that gave him a chance to enter parliament instead of attacking it at a time when it is under political assaults.