For days in different cities of the Türkiye tens of thousands of people are manifesting against the government of the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his party of justice and development (in Turkish Adolet ve kalkınma partisiAkp). The protests were unleashed was thearrest Wednesday 19 March by Ekrem Imamoglumayor of Istanbul and among the main leaders of the opposition parties. In the primaries of Sunday 23 March, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) announced that Imamoglu was voted by about 15 million people like CAndida to the presidential elections of 2028.
The threat to the dominance of Erdoğan
The arrest and possession of Ekrem Imamoglu with the accusations of corruption and ties with a terrorist association It is only the last step of a sequence of judicial documents and trials by the Turkish judiciary, which after years of thekp government is now a not too veiled emanation of the government of Erdoğan. Over the years, more than 90 Investigations against Imamogluincluding the accusation of having failed to respect the tomb of an ancient sultan until that of insulting the members of the Turkish supreme electoral commission. In 2023 he was also accused of manipulation of tenders, which provides for a prison sentence from three to seven years. But who is the politician who intimidates Erdoğan to the point of risking to unleash the protests of the square throughout Turkey and to bring down the Turkish lira on the world markets?
Studies and career work
Ekrem i̇mamamlu is Born on June 4, 1970 in Akçaabatin the province of Trebizonda. Yes it is Graduated in Business Economics at the University of Istanbul and then obtained a master’s degree in managing human resources. Both these titles are now questioned by the University in 2025 due to alleged procedural irregularities. After the studies, İMamoğlu worked in the Imamoglu Saat, the family business active in construction sector. In addition to this on his curriculum there is the direction of a restaurant in Istanbul specialized in Köfte (Turkish meatballs) and the assignment on the board of directors of the Polisportiva del Trabzonspor, the football team of his hometown.
The beginning in politics
There First political experience of İMamoğlu dates back to the early 90swhen he enrolled in the youth wing of the motherland party. In the early 2000s, İMamamlu went to the CHP and in 2009 he was elected head of the youth section of the Kemalist party. Ten years later the candidacy as mayor of Istanbul arrived. Against all prediction, İMamoğlu managed to beat Erdoğan’s party candidate with a margin of 13,000 votes, but the result was canceled by the Turkish supreme electoral commission. Once the elections are repeated three months later, the margin of votes of İMamuğlu went up to 800,000.
The mandate as mayor of Istanbul
İmamoğlu has sworn on June 27, 2019 as mayor of Istanbulcharge that Erdoğan himself held from 1994 to 1998. During his mandate he implemented significant urban reforms, expanding the Metropolitan Railway Network and introducing a new fleet of electric buses. He has promoted environmental sustainability projects, such as the creation of new public parks and measures for the reduction of polluting emissions. In the field of social policies, its administration has improved access to public data and services with the implementation of digital platforms and planned a thirty -year program for the safety of buildings and monuments in anticipation of seismic events. Once his mandate has expired In 2024 İMamoğlu was reconfirmed with 51.03% of the votesovercoming the candidate of the Akp Murat Kurum (39.59%). In June of the same year, İMamamlu was elected president of the Union of the Municipalities of Türkiye (TBB), the first Republican to hold this office from the foundation of the Body in 2005. The March 23, 2025 İMamamlu was raised by the assignment of Mayor of Istanbul due to the latest accusations against him.
The reasons for its success
During his political career, İMamuğlu has shown a great ability to speak and persuade voters of different social conditions and opinions. Exactly the talent that is recognized by all analysts also to the current Turkish president Erdoğan. During his speeches İMamamlu stands out for ainclusive oratory It is careful to avoid social discrimination. Also in the game of alliances in a very fragmented opposition panorama İMamoğlu manages to be a credible candidate for many factions: Thanks to its origins in an observant Sunni family, it is in fact well -seen from the moderate Muslim electorate, while its political and entrepreneurial history favors it with the left and progressive Turkish electorate. Recent surveys in Türkiye seem to confirm these impressions: thanks to the popularity of İMamoğlu, the CHP could approach 30% and reach Erdoğan’skp levels. Despite the arrest, judicial pressures and detention in a maximum security prison decreed on Sunday 23 March, İMamuğlu has announced that he has no intention of abandoning the race for the 2028 presidential elections.
