Almost one year after he was jailed, Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has told Reuters that Tayyip Erdogan should call elections “now” and predicted that the president would lose if he ran again ... And Turkey will be the winner,” Imamoglu said.
After Zeydan Karalar was released from prison, he called for the release of other opposition mayors and politicians, including Istanbul's mayor and presidential candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu....
Imamoglu, who is PresidentTayyip Erdogan's main political rival, has been in jail since last March, pending trial on corruption charges ...Without a university degree, Imamoglu cannot stand as a candidate for president.
Necati Ozkan, campaign manager of jailed Istanbul mayor and opposition presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu, has told BIRN that his only offence in the government's eyes is helping Imamoglu win four elections ....
Political expert Salim Cevik argues that Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan’s peaceable outreach to Kurdish militants and his deepening crackdown on the opposition have the same goal – perpetuating his rule ....