Istanbul mayor arrested ahead of selection to run against Erdogan

 News

Reuters

Imamoglu was detained as he was about to register to run against President Erdogan

A rival to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been formally arrested and charged with corruption.

Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of the Turkish city of Istanbul, is expected to be selected as the opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) 2028 presidential candidate in a ballot on Sunday.

Imamoglu denies the allegations and in a statement on social media, he is quoted as saying: "I will never bow".

His detention on Wednesday has sparked off some of the largest protests in more than a decade. Erdogan has condemned the demonstrations and accused the CHP of trying to "disturb the peace and polarise our people".