A Turkish court has sentenced Imamoglu to 2 years, 7 months and 15 days in prison for insulting Supreme Election Board (YSK) officials after he described their decision to invalidate his 2019 city election win as an act of foolishness, Turkish broadcaster A Haber reported. The mayor was also banned from political activities, which will prevent him from running in the presidential election next year.
The opposition politician's defense has already announced its intention to appeal the decision.
Imamoglu was called one of the possible rivals of incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the election that is expected to take place in June 2023. Erdogan has already announced that he would run for re-election.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Turkey's main opposition force, said on Wednesday that he is ending his visit to Berlin early due to Imamoglu's arrest.
"We are interrupting our program in Berlin and flying to Istanbul," Kilicdaroglu said in a video address on Twitter.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kilicdaroglu reiterated his consent to run in the 2023 presidential election as the single candidate from the six-party opposition alliance.
In late February, leaders of six Turkish opposition parties, namely CHP, the Democracy and Progress Party, the Democrat Party, the Future Party, the Good Party, and the Felicity Party, signed a joint declaration outlining their plan to restore the parliamentary system and reduce the president's role should they win the elections. Part of the plan stipulates the overhaul of the existing presidential system, which went into force in 2018 with Erdogan's backing.