Türkiye’s Opposition Elects Interim Istanbul Mayor after Imamoglu’s Jailing

Police officers stand guard as people take part in a protest against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a corruption investigation, in Istanbul, Türkiye, March 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Police officers stand guard as people take part in a protest against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a corruption investigation, in Istanbul, Türkiye, March 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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Türkiye’s Opposition Elects Interim Istanbul Mayor after Imamoglu’s Jailing

Police officers stand guard as people take part in a protest against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a corruption investigation, in Istanbul, Türkiye, March 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Police officers stand guard as people take part in a protest against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a corruption investigation, in Istanbul, Türkiye, March 25, 2025. (Reuters)

Istanbul's opposition-run municipal council on Wednesday elected an interim mayor to run the city, after mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was jailed pending trial over graft charges that he and his supporters deny and call politicized.

The detention last week of Imamoglu, the biggest political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, triggered the largest anti-government demonstrations in Türkiye in over a decade and led to mass arrests, as hundreds of thousands heeded opposition calls and took to the streets in mostly peaceful protests.

His jailing on Sunday has been criticized by Imamoglu's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Western leaders, other opposition parties and rights groups as an anti-democratic move aimed at eliminating an electoral threat to Erdogan.

The government denies influence over the judiciary and says the courts are independent. Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for over two decades, has dismissed the nationwide protests as a "show", warned of legal consequences, and called on the CHP to stop "provoking" Turks.

Istanbul's 314-member council, where the CHP holds a majority, elected the party's Nuri Aslan to run the city with 177 votes, according to NTV. The interim mayor will run the city for the remainder of Imamoglu's term, as he awaits trial.

The election of an interim mayor prevents the government from appointing a trustee to run the municipality, as it has done in several other cities, particularly in the mainly Kurdish southeast, amid a months-long legal crackdown on the opposition.

Speaking at the Istanbul Municipality building in Sarachane, CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel, who visited Imamoglu in jail a day ago, said the interim mayor had blocked Erdogan's desire to appoint a trustee at the municipality.

"The struggle will expand to all of Türkiye from now on, but one leg will always be in Istanbul and one hand will always be on Sarachane," Ozel said, adding the public's resistance had thwarted what the opposition calls a "coup attempt" against it.

Interim Mayor Aslan, speaking alongside Ozel, said the position was entrusted to him temporarily.

"Our mayor, elected with the votes of Istanbul, will come back as soon as possible. We, along with our chairman, will take care of what he entrusted us with and give it back to him," he said.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Since Imamoglu's detention, Turkish financial assets have plunged, prompting the central bank to use reserves to support the lira. The government has said the impact of the fluctuations would be limited and temporary.

Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan said on Wednesday the bank had taken proactive steps to ensure markets functioned effectively and that the measures were supportive of its tight monetary policy stance. He said the turmoil did not disrupt the core dynamics of the economy.

Karahan said the bank's FX reserves were in a "very strong" position, despite an intervention to prop up the lira last week.

"We have taken every necessary measure proactively, staying within the rules of the market, and we will continue to do so. The central bank has a very wide and strong set of instruments," he said.

The CHP has said it would continue to rally and pressure the government. On Sunday, when Imamoglu's arrest was announced, the party named Imamoglu as its presidential candidate for the next elections. It has called for a boycott of several media outlets, brands and stores it says are pro-Erdogan.

The opposition party also plans to convene an extraordinary congress on April 6 to prevent authorities from appointing a trustee to run the party after prosecutors launched a probe into alleged irregularities around its last congress in 2023.



Pakistan Says It Is Committed to Truce with India, Vows Response to Aggression 

A boy looks out of his damaged house from Pakistani artillery shelling upon his return to Kotmaira village along the Line of Control in Akhnoor Sector, India, Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP)
A boy looks out of his damaged house from Pakistani artillery shelling upon his return to Kotmaira village along the Line of Control in Akhnoor Sector, India, Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP)
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Pakistan Says It Is Committed to Truce with India, Vows Response to Aggression 

A boy looks out of his damaged house from Pakistani artillery shelling upon his return to Kotmaira village along the Line of Control in Akhnoor Sector, India, Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP)
A boy looks out of his damaged house from Pakistani artillery shelling upon his return to Kotmaira village along the Line of Control in Akhnoor Sector, India, Tuesday, May 13, 2025.(AP)

Pakistan said on Tuesday it remained committed to a truce with India agreed after four days of intense fighting last week, but vowed to respond with full resolve to any future aggression by New Delhi.

The nuclear-armed neighbors halted their worst fighting in nearly three decades after agreeing to a ceasefire on Saturday, following diplomacy and pressure from the United States.

Tuesday's comments from Islamabad came in response to a speech by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the previous day that warned Pakistan New Delhi would target "terrorist hideouts" across the border again if there were new attacks on India, without being deterred by "nuclear blackmail".

Pakistan's foreign ministry said Islamabad categorically rejected Modi's "provocative and inflammatory assertions" in the speech.

"At a time when international efforts are being made for regional peace and stability, this statement represents a dangerous escalation," it said in a statement.

"Pakistan remains committed to the recent ceasefire understanding and taking necessary steps towards de-escalation and regional stability," it said, promising full resolve in meeting any future aggression by its neighbor.

The two sides fired missiles and drones targeting each other's military installations after India said it struck "terrorist infrastructure" sites in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday in retaliation for an attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 Hindu tourists.

Pakistan, which said the targets were all civilian, denies Indian accusations that it was behind the attack in the Himalayan region. Its military has said 40 civilians and 11 of its armed forces were killed in the attack.

India said at least five of its military personnel and 16 civilians died.

India said on Tuesday it had declared an official of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi persona non grata "for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status".

Pakistan also declared a staff member at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad persona non grata "for engaging in activities incompatible with his privileged status".

Each was given 24 hours to leave the country.

Both countries have already reduced the strength of their embassies after relations nosedived after the April 22 attack.

MODI REPEATS WARNING

Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan each rule part of Kashmir, but both claim it in full, having fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over it, along with several limited flare-ups, particularly in 1999 and 2019.

Earlier on Tuesday, Modi visited the Adampur air base near the border and repeated his warning to Pakistan in remarks to Indian Air Force personnel, with whom he posed for photographs.

"We will not differentiate between the government sponsoring terrorism and the masterminds of terrorism," Modi said, referring to India's response in the event of another attack.

"We will enter their dens and hit them without giving them an opportunity to survive."

Separately, the Indian foreign ministry said the issue of trade did not come up in talks with Washington regarding the tension with Pakistan.

The understanding to stop the fighting was reached directly with Islamabad after Pakistan's military operations chief called his Indian counterpart and made the proposal, it added.

Pakistan has said it called India in response to a call from New Delhi on May 7, which the Indian military immediately followed its strikes on the "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said the leaders of India and Pakistan were "unwavering", and the United States had "helped a lot" to secure the ceasefire, adding that trade was a "big reason" why the countries stopped fighting.

India has said the military operations chiefs of both nations spoke by telephone on Monday, reiterating their commitment to halt firing and consider steps to reduce troops on the border.

Pakistan has not provided details of the call.