Mint Explainer: How Erdogan is chipping away at Turkey’s democracy

Imamgolu has served as mayor of Istanbul, Turkey’s capital city, since 2019. He belongs to the opposition Republican People’s Party. His victory in the 2019 mayoral election proved a major upset to Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, which had held power in the city for decades.

After he was narrowly elected to the position of Mayor in 2019, Erodgan’s ruling party contested the election results and secured a fresh election. However, Imamgolu won a handsome victory in the new election and called the country’s Supreme Election Council “fools” for doubting the election results in the first place. That comment triggered the present political row.

On Wednesday, Imamoglu was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison and was banned from politics. The ban was particularly important given that Imamoglu was considered to be a key challenger to Erdogan in the presidential election slated for 2024.

Critics of Erdogan have pointed to the judiciary’s decision as a sign of Erdogan’s use of nominally impartial institutions to prosecute political opponents. Earlier, another member of Imamgolu’s opposition party was barred from politics by the courts for criticising President Erdogan.

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Observers have also bemoaned the general deterioration in Turkey’s democratic institutions during Erdogan’s two decades at the helm of the state. For example, Erdogan recently tried to ban a Kurdish political party from contesting elections. He has also proved hostile to sexual minorities.

Erdogan’s actions reflect his weakened political position. Turkey has been battered by high double-digit inflation in recent months while the value of the Turkish lira has dropped considerably. This has created major economic problems for the citizenry and has also hurt Erdogan’s popularity.

Imamgolu’s victory in the 2019 Istanbul mayoral election reflected a political threat to Erdogan especially since he had once served as mayor of Istanbul. This explains why Imamgolu has been targeted by state institutions.

Despite his conviction, Imamgolu can stay in office by appealing the court’s decision. However, his battle with state institutions will likely continue as the 2024 general elections draw near.

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