Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu was detained in an early-morning March 19 police raid on his house—a matter of days before he was due to be selected as a presidential candidate widely seen as having a good chance of defeating Turkish president of two decades Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Prosecutors said he stood accused of being a "criminal organisation leader suspect".

The Turkish lira and Borsa Istanbul sank on news of the detention.

As well as detaining the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) city mayor, authorities detained around 100 other suspects, including other politicians, journalists and businessmen and imposed four days of restrictions in Istanbul including severe restrictions on access to social media sites and a four-day ban on demonstrations to “preserve public order”.

Imamoglu wrote on social media that "the will of the people cannot be silenced". In a video posted online, he vowed to "stand resolute" for the people of Turkey as well as for "all who uphold democracy and justice worldwide".

CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel wrote on X that it amounted to a coup for authorities to make decisions on behalf of the people, replace their will or resort to force to prevent their will.

The detention of Imamoglu at his Istanbul home came a day after Istanbul University annulled his degree, citing claimed irregularities. If upheld, the decision would make him ineligible to stand as a candidate for the presidency as, constitutionally, a president must have completed higher education.

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