Turkey: Erdogan's political deja vu
The detention of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has echoes of the Turkish president's past
The Global Story · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested on Wednesday on corruption and terror charges he insists are politically motivated. Considered the leading candidate to face Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the next election, Mr Imamoglu's eligibility had been thrown into doubt after his university degree was annulled earlier this week. His detention is being compared to President Erdogan's own arrest when he was Istanbul mayor more than a quarter of a century ago - a moment widely seen as the catalyst for his rise to national stardom.
On this episode, Jonny Dymond is joined by journalist and author Elcin Poyrazlar, and BBC Monitoring's Dilay Yalcin. They discuss how Turkey has changed under Erdogan’s leadership, and consider what the arrest of his rival says about his fears for future.
Producers: Laurie Kalus, Tom Kavanagh and Eleanor Sly
Sound engineers: Jack Graysmark and Mike Regaard
Assistant editors: Richard Fenton-Smith and Sergi Forcada Freixas
Senior news editor: China Collins