site.btaTens of Thousands Protest in Istanbul in Support of Arrested Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Istanbul on Saturday to protest the arrest of the city's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, Reuters news agency reported. Imamoglu's arrest sparked Turkiye's biggest demonstrations in a decade, the agency said.

Hundreds of thousands responded to opposition calls and took to the streets after Imamoglu was detained on March 19 and then arrested on corruption charges. The protests were mostly peaceful, but nearly 2,000 participants were detained by authorities, Reuters notes.

The main opposition force, the People's Republican Party (CHP), as well as other opposition parties, human rights groups, and Western officials, believe Imamoglu's arrest is political and aimed at removing a potential electoral threat to Erdogan.

The government denies influencing the judiciary and says the court is independent.

Tens of thousands of people waved the Turkish flag and put up placards in Maltepe Park on Istanbul's Asian coast at the rally organized by the People's Republican Party (CHP).

"If justice is silent, the people will speak," reads one of the slogans.

On March 23, the CHP held internal party elections to officially endorse Imamoglu as its candidate for the upcoming presidential elections. These are due to be held in 2028, but the party is calling for early elections, arguing that the government has lost its legitimacy.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that nearly 1,900 people have been detained since the protests began, and courts on Thursday ordered the arrest of 260 of them pending trial.

Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for more than 20 years, dismissed the protests, calling them a "show." He warned there would be legal consequences and called on the People's Republican Party to stop "provoking" Turks.

Imamoglu's arrest led to a drop in the Turkish lira, forcing the central bank to use its reserves to prop up the national currency. The instability has also caused turmoil in the private sector, Reuters notes.

The government believes the impact will be limited and temporary. The central bank said the underlying dynamics of the economy remained unaffected, but it would take further action if necessary.