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Popular Istanbul mayor on trial, could face political ban
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Candidate
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| Contributor | IndyGeorgia |
| Last Edited | IndyGeorgia Nov 11, 2022 08:12pm |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Mehmet Guzel and Suzan Fraser |
| News Date | Friday, November 11, 2022 03:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | ISTANBUL (AP) — A prosecutor on Friday repeated a demand for Istanbul’s mayor to be convicted on charges of insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council, during the third hearing of a trial critics allege is an attempt to remove a key opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from the political scene.
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party, faces up to four years in prison if found guilty of the charge and could also be barred from holding office.
Imamoglu was elected to lead Turkey’s largest city in March 2019. His win was a historic blow to Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. The party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.
The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later. Imamoglu won again — that time with a comfortable majority.
His trial is based on accusations that he insulted members of the electoral council when he described canceling legitimate elections as “foolishness” on Nov. 4, 2019.
The mayor denies insulting members of the council, insisting his words were a response to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu calling him “a fool” and accusing Imamoglu of criticizing Turkey during a visit to the European Parliament. |
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