Istanbul, Oct 1. (dpa/GNA) – Turkish authorities have detained several mayors, in a series of raids targeting opposition politicians, state news agency Anadolu reported on Thursday.
A total of 59 suspects, including Vahap Secer, the mayor of the southern city of Mersin, were detained in the operations. They face corruption allegations, linked to suspected irregularities in public tenders.
Secer, a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), won about 60% of the vote in the March 2024 local elections. The CHP secured the largest number of mayoral posts nationwide in those elections, dealing a setback to President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Since then, several opposition officials have been detained or imprisoned. Among the most prominent is former Istanbul mayor Ekrem Ä°mamoÄŸlu, one of ErdoÄŸan’s leading political rivals.
The government says it is not interfering in the judiciary.
Özgür Özel, the former CHP leader, was removed from his post by a court in May, and subsequently founded the New Party.
It later became the country’s largest opposition force, after numerous lawmakers joined its ranks, with Ä°mamoÄŸlu also becoming a member.
GNA