site.btaIstanbul City Council to Elect New Mayor, Government Won't Appoint Deputy

The Istanbul City Council will be able to elect a new mayor from within its ranks after a court ruled on Sunday morning that Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu remains in custody on corruption charges, Haberler.com reported.

The website commented that the fact that the court did not order Imamoglu's arrest on terrorism charges, but only on corruption charges, means that the government will not need to appoint a replacement. 

According to the rules, another person from the leadership of Istanbul's greater municipality is expected to be appointed to replace Imamoglu.

The decision to leave Imamoglu in custody was made after a court hearing lasting for more than 15 hours in which 99 other people were brought before the court.

Imamoglu and the other detainees have two weeks to appeal their detentions, and the court must rule within three days, lawyers told CNN Turk.

According to the opposition newspaper Sozcu, it is likely that Imamoglu will be detained in Silivri, where other prominent figures have also been imprisoned.

The area in front of the Caglayan courthouse was blocked by the police in a wide perimeter throughout the night.

According to Turkish media, this is the largest police that has been seen so far. Large groups of people gathered around the courthouse throughout the night, chanting “Together, we want justice.”

Last night, the largest protest in a series of demonstrations against the arrest of Mayor Imamoglu took place in Istanbul, with the police using tear gas and water cannons. Meanwhile, the authorities extended the ban on public gatherings until March 26.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the street protests, but today, the district chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in Istanbul, Ozgur Celik, called on party supporters who have already cast their votes in the internal elections to head to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in Sarachane.

Although Imamoglu is in detention, he remains the only candidate in the CHP's internal party elections, where the party will select its presidential candidate for the 2028 elections.