The expert called the mayoralty in Istanbul a landmark for many Turkish politicians.

The prospect of becoming mayor of Istanbul is a landmark for many Turkish politicians because of the example of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This was stated to Izvestia on March 28 by the chairman of the International Center for Combating Crime and Terrorism, international political scientist Enes Karakhanov.

According to him, Erdogan's path from the mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality to the prime minister, and then to the president of Turkey, inspires many Turkish politicians.

"There is a widespread opinion in the country that whoever becomes mayor of Istanbul supposedly has every chance of becoming prime minister or president of Turkey. Thus, in order to achieve the presidency, the mayoralty in Istanbul is considered an important political landmark," Karakhanov said.

He noted that the arrested mayor of the Turkish city of Ekrem Imamoglu expresses a desire to become a candidate for the presidency of Turkey in 2028. His prospects look doubtful, the expert emphasized. The dinner with British Ambassador Dominic John Chilcott in Ankara in 2022 and the visit of German President Frank Walter Steinmeier in 2024 are not a good basis for his nomination for the presidency, the political scientist added.

Mayoral feeling: Turkey is preparing for new protests after the arrest of the head of Istanbul

What strategy will the current authorities of the country choose to resolve the conflict?

"Nuri Aslan was elected as the new deputy mayor instead of Imamoglu and will now head the Istanbul administration. His main task will be to support Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the former leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), by replacing the current head of the party, Ozgur Ozel, and facilitating Kilicdaroglu's return to office," he concluded.

The expert recalled that Kilicdaroglu was Erdogan's main rival in the 2023 elections. At the same time, politicians have a common view on changes to the country's constitution — they believe that it requires reform.

Ekrem Imamoglu has served as mayor of Istanbul since 2019. On March 23, 2025, he was arrested on March 23 on charges of illegally obtaining personal data, accepting bribes, and violations during tenders. He was removed from office on the same day. According to the results of some Turkish polls, Imamoglu had a chance to become Erdogan's main opponent in the 2028 elections. Against the background of what is happening, Istanbul was engulfed by mass protests, during one of which six policemen were injured. Rallies were also held in Ankara.

The Council of Istanbul Municipality has elected Nuri Aslan as the acting mayor of the city. On March 28, Imamoglu's lawyer was detained. The head of the opposition Republican People's Party Turan Taskin Ozer called the reasons for the detention fabricated.