Will Turkey manage to restore justice?
Imamoglu appeared on the scene of a city that is “the microcosm of Turkish identity politics”, nowhere else is the political race so fierce.
Since taking office as mayor, he has been credited with improving Istanbul’s infrastructure, social services and cultural heritage. “Part of his appeal is due to his personality: warm, friendly, expressive, approachable. He is also not divisive, which is rare in Turkish politics at this stage,” analysts say.
Labelling all political opponents as terrorists is a trend that Erdogan’s government acquired after the failed military coup in 2016, when a faction of the Turkish armed forces tried to seize power, but the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, a would-be presidential candidate, the confiscation of his diploma, the jailing of his lawyer and many of his supporters is a new stage in the show of force.
