What’s happening in Turkey is about far more than fate of Istanbul’s mayor

Beneath the acrid smell of tear gas on the night air in Istanbul, there is a hint of something else – a whiff of panic on the part of Turkey’s long-time leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
One of his rivals has been put behind bars – so far, so familiar.
But the jailing of Ekrem Imamoglu, the popular mayor of Istanbul, suggests President Erdogan is rattled – and he may have gone too far. The mayor’s opposition Republican People’s party (CHP), which is summoning vast crowds onto the streets, is certainly hoping so.
Ekrem Imamoglu – always smartly turned out, even as he prepared to be detained – is the main rival to Turkey’s increasingly authoritarian leader. He could well replace him in presidential elections due to be held by 2028 – assuming he is free to contest them.
But this is far more than a row about the fate of Istanbul’s mayor – charismatic though he may be.

Courtesy: BBC