Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented for the first time on the situation regarding the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. He emphasized the opposition's attempts to exert political pressure on the police and judicial system.
Imamoglu's arrest and Erdogan's response
On March 20, the Istanbul prosecutor's office announced that the opposition figure Imamoglu had been arrested in connection with a corruption and bribery organization case.
The politician himself assessed this as pressure from the authorities and stated that he would not surrender. Security measures in Istanbul were intensified, and disruptions were observed in social media.
President Erdogan described Imamoglu's arrest as a legal process and accused the opposition of attempting to influence the government.
“The opposition wants to defend its mistakes with even bigger mistakes. They are losing balance, attacking the police, and threatening judges,” Erdogan said.
Economic impact: lira depreciated, stock market declined
Imamoglu's arrest led to not only political but also economic consequences.
- The Turkish lira depreciated by 10% against the US dollar, exceeding 41 lira for the first time.
- The main index of the Istanbul BIST 100 stock exchange fell by 6.87%.
This indicates an increase in instability in the Turkish economy and political tension.
Tension between the government and the opposition
While criticizing the opposition, Erdogan emphasized that the government is focused on solving the country's problems rather than engaging in disputes with the opposition.
“We cannot afford to spend time arguing with the opposition. We are working towards achieving our goals,” said the Turkish president.
Turkey's Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunch called for no demonstrations regarding Imamoglu's arrest, stating that today's process has nothing to do with Erdogan.
Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest further intensified the tension in Turkey's political scene. This event not only deepened the conflict between the government and the opposition but also contributed to economic instability.
