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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The CHP has given Imamoglu its full support, warning of mass demonstrations, while a protest by lawmakers led to the closure of Parliament. However, the party may not want to jeopardize its chances of defeating President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the general election with a candidate with an uncertain future.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu made headlines with his arrest on Wednesday, but he was as defiant as ever and confident of public support, as his statements in the moments before his detention showed.
However, a bleak future awaits him even if he can overcome his current legal troubles. With his university degree invalidated on Tuesday following a separate investigation into his illegal transfer from a Cypriot university to Istanbul University, he appears to have lost his chance to run for president.
Imamoğlu was set to win his Republican People's Party's (CHP) primary on Sunday, where he is the only nominee as a presidential candidate to run in the general election. However, a presidential candidate is required to have a university degree. Legal experts even point out that he may have to serve in the army again as the mandatory short-term conscription for university students will be abolished with the cancellation of the degree.
Despite evidence and eyewitness testimonies in other investigations highlighting Imamoğlu's alleged wrongdoings, he remains innocent and will likely appeal any prison sentence, but will still remain in lengthy detention as the offenses he faces are serious.
So a release with judicial review could still give Imamoğlu enough time to nominate for the presidential candidacy well before the scheduled 2028 elections, but only if his next appeal against Istanbul University's decision to revoke his degree is approved.
The CHP has given Imamoğlu its full support, warning of mass demonstrations, while a protest by lawmakers led to the closure of Parliament. However, the party may not want to jeopardize its chances of defeating President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the general election with a candidate with an uncertain future.
According to polls, Mansur Yavaş, a less charismatic mayor, is still favored over Imamoğlu as the CHP presidential candidate. Yavaş opposed the CHP primaries, saying it was too early to choose a candidate. Yavaş could be the CHP's lead candidate if Imamoğlu is eliminated from the race over the degree issue.
Regarding Imamoğlu's position in the municipality, legal experts say that a trustee will likely be appointed in his place. Lawyer Zafer Işeri told Sabah newspaper that they do not expect a new mayor to be elected from among the members of the CHP-dominated municipal assembly.
Işeri noted that the detention was not an "arrest" and that Imamoğlu would remain mayor due to the principle that "he is innocent until proven guilty."
"But it is very likely that he will be arrested due to the gravity of the crimes he is accused of. He must be acquitted of all charges in order to return to his term as mayor. However, he will face a long trial process," Işeri said on Wednesday. /Adapted from Pamphlet by Daily Sabah/
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