Events in Turkey took place to block Imamoglu’s path to presidency – Yashar Niyazbayev

Speaking with Alpha News, expert on Turkey Yashar Niyazbayev commented on the detention of one of the leaders of the opposition Republican People’s Party, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

“The key point here is that, in a few days, there was supposed to be an election for a candidate within the Republican People’s Party, that is, a presidential candidate from the opposition party, and I believe that is why this is happening now. Because the authorities are trying to exclude Ekrem Imamoglu from the political race in the upcoming election, which, as they claim, might be held early. Some even said that they will be held this year, but most likely they will be held in 2026.

Some experts argue that early elections would benefit Turkish President Erdogan because they would allow him to run for a third term, but if the elections are held on time, certain difficulties may arise,” Niyazbayev said.

According to the expert, the opposition in Turkey is labeling the arrests as a coup.

“The opposition is already calling these actions a coup. Because they understand that everything that is being done is being done to block Imamoglu’s path to the presidency. Before this, the authorities annulled his diploma, today he was detained, and most likely he will be arrested. At the same time, the authorities are restricting social media access and have also banned mass events. All this suggests that at the moment the authorities are determined to prevent any destabilization in the country,” Niyazbayev emphasized.

According to the expert, what is happening in Turkey also affects Erdogan’s supporters, because they care how the authorities conduct their political struggle.

“The people are not homogeneous. In Turkey, there are very politicized citizens, and they are divided into two parts—those who support the authorities and those who oppose them. This division was evident in the latest presidential elections, where Erdogan gained slightly more than 50%, showing that half of the population remains against him.

Of course, the current situation, it seems to me, also affects Erdogan’s supporters, because they do care how the authorities conduct their political struggle. There is a core that always supports Erdogan, believes that Erdogan does everything right, but there are also those who vote based on what they see. Therefore, the current situation may not play a very good role. We do not know this yet, but most likely, Imamoglu may become some kind of sacred victim, which will make him even more popular,” Niyazbayev concluded.