Istanbul mayor found guilty of insulting Turkish officials

A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced the mayor of Istanbul, the country’s most populous city, to two years and seven months in prison for insulting a member of Turkey’s Supreme Election Council.

Critics say the trial is aimed at ousting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main opponent, Ekrem Imamoglu, from power. Turkey will hold presidential elections next year.

The court found Imamoglu guilty and imposed a political ban that could lead to his removal from office.

Politicians from the main opposition Republican People’s Party are expected to appeal the verdict.

Imamoglu was elected to lead Istanbul in March 2019. His win was a historic blow to Mr Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter of a century.

The party, which claims the city has a population of 16 million, has pushed for the annulment of municipal election results, citing irregularities.

The challenge led to another election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won.

Imamoglu was accused of insulting a senior public official after he described the cancellation of a legal election as “stupid” on November 4, 2019.

The mayor denied insulting the electoral commission member, insisting his words were a response to Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu calling him a “fool” and accusing Imamoglu of criticizing Turkey during his visit to the European Parliament.