Erdogan: Foreign powers using Imamoglu case for ‘political manipulation’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded Wednesday to Western criticism of his call for a political ban on opposition Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu ahead of next year’s elections.
Erdogan told supporters of his ruling party that foreign powers were trying to use the issue to manipulate Turkish politics before the vote.
“Are you looking for political engineers?” he asked. Are you looking for foreigners who are using an individual crime to manipulate politics in our country?””
Last week, a court sentenced Imamoglu to more than two years in prison and barred him from holding an official position for the same period for “insulting a public official” in 2019.
The case arose after the annulled municipal elections in which Imamoglu won re-election.
Imamoglu has emerged as one of the most capable opposition leaders to face Erdogan in the presidential election in June.
The 52-year-old mayor will remain in office while his appeal is heard by the courts.
But a senior official said Imamoglu would not be allowed to serve as president if he won the election.
A second presidential election will then have to be held, the official said.
Western countries condemned the ruling, led by the United States, whose Foreign Ministry said it was “deeply disappointed” and Germany, which called it a “major blow to democracy”.
Erdogan refrained from commenting on the conviction for three days, then distanced himself from the ruling and indicated that it could still be appealed.
