Ekrem İmamoğlu

Ekrem İmamoğlu (born 4 June 1970) is a Turkish politician who has served as the 32nd Mayor of Istanbul since 2019. He is currently suspended from office by the governor and remains in pretrial detention since 19 March 2025 at Marmara Prison. He denies the accusations and claims they have been politically motivated. He is the Republican People's Party (CHP) presumptive candidate for the next Turkish presidential election.

Ekrem İmamoğlu was nominated as the presidential candidate of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in a primary election held on 23 March 2025, where he was the sole candidate. Initially limited to CHP members, the primary was opened to the public for solidarity votes after his detention on 19 March 2025. CHP Chairman Özgür Özel announced that around 1.6–1.7 million party members participated, with total support—including solidarity ballots—reaching approximately 15 million (figures cited as over 14.85 million or 15 million).

The nomination coincided with İmamoğlu's formal arrest and pre-trial detention on 23 March 2025, the same day as the primary, following raids related to allegations of corruption, bribery, extortion, and leading a criminal organisation at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (a separate terrorism probe saw no arrest warrant issued). He was sent to Marmara Prison (later Silivri Prison) and suspended from his mayoral role. The events triggered widespread protests across Turkey, including in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir, often facing police intervention and temporary bans.

From prison, İmamoğlu has continued to challenge the government amid ongoing trials and restrictions, facing over 10 cases, including a major corruption trial seeking more than 2,000 years in prison. In February 2026 statements from Silivri Prison conveyed by his legal team, he dared President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to call early elections immediately, saying: "We want early elections now. But the current president sees the coming defeat and shies away from elections... He will run and he will lose. And Turkey will be the winner." He described the charges as "false allegations" driven by political motives to avoid electoral defeat, while maintaining an active routine of legal work, reading supporter letters, and municipal oversight.

The CHP continues to uphold İmamoğlu as its presidential candidate for the 2028 election (or earlier snap polls), despite legal hurdles such as challenges to his university diploma.

İmamoğlu was born in Akçaabat and moved to Istanbul in 1987. He attained a Bachelor's degree in business administration and a Master's degree in human resource management from Istanbul University and then worked as a developer in his family's construction and real estate business. In 2002, he became a board member of the multi-sport club Trabzonspor. İmamoğlu joined the CHP in 2008 and acted as president of party's local chapter in Beylikdüzü before being elected as mayor of Beylikdüzü in 2014. İmamoğlu was nominated by the CHP to replace Kadir Topbaş as Mayor of Istanbul in 2017 but the position went to Mevlüt Uysal.

In March 2019, İmamoğlu was elected as Mayor of Istanbul in an upset victory against the ruling AK Party-backed candidate Binali Yıldırım: despite the AK Party successfully annulling and repeating the election that June, İmamoğlu was reelected. In his first term, İmamoğlu combatted child malnutrition by improving access to milk from local dairy farmers, provided tertiary education scholarships, reduced public transportation fares and utility costs for certain residents, and oversaw Istanbul's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. İmamoğlu's environmental initiatives included launching a program to clean the Golden Horn and replacing phaetons with all-electric vehicles on the Princes' Islands. He led the restoration of the Esenler Coach Terminal and expanded the city's public transport network. İmamoğlu was reelected as Istanbul Mayor for a second term in 2024, and is considered a front-runner for the 2028 presidential election.