Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called Donald Trump to ask for his mandate to jail his main political rival, Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel, claimed on April 7.

Ozel also branded the regime led by Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) as a junta that fears the people.

It has become crystal clear that Erdogan sought the US president’s mandate and patronage, according to Ozel.

“But know this: in the first election to come, neither America nor Trump will save you [Erdogan] from our hands!” Ozel remarked.

Is Turkey’s ballot box alive?

It is unfortunately not crystal clear when the next presidential election will take place and whether or not it will be a real election in which the opposition has a chance of taking over the government. 

From Russia to Venezuela, elections are always held. Turkey regularly holds elections too and Erdogan always attracts 52% of the vote.

Istanbul Blog writes: The difference between energy-producing regimes and Turkey is that whereas the former earn FX to anchor their economies, the latter needs to sow confusion as regards the actual political situation in the country in order to give foreign investors the excuse to keep pumping dollars into a regime that can be painted as “acceptable”. The so-called opposition is permitted to play democracy in a highly controlled environment, and Erdogan never claims the “80% victories” typical of Vladimir Putin. The contest is presented as a genuine battle but it is no such thing.

Tweet: Beyond "symbolic" activities to "keep the ballot box alive", Turkey actually needs a messiah to bring its ballot box back from the dead.

Ozel has been, meanwhile, re-elected as the CHP leader with almost the complete support of the party as the sole contender in the vote.

Social non-sciences faculties should be shut down. Their graduates would better serve public welfare in physical jobs.

Trump’s mandate

When it comes to the claimed Trump authorisation for the jailing of Imamoglu, Ozel is not the only person who affirns that it was indeed obtained.

On April 2, Chris Murphy, a Democrat senator in the US, also claimed that Trump greenlit the jailing of Erdogan’s main rival.

Those who carried out the coup against Imamoglu are currently sheltering in Erdogan’s palace while they hold Ozel’s friends captive. Ozel's junta remarks, have, meanwhile attracted a heavy response from a former Erdogan interior minister and other AKP figures.

Today, says Ozel, Turkey is managed according to a coup plot driven by fear of the next presidential poll and fear of the jailed Imamoglu, made the official CHP presidential candidate and widely seen as someone who would trounce Erdogan in a fair election, and fear of the will of the nation. 

Tayyip Erdogan has turned into a coup leader that targets his rivals. He is not a president who has the support of the people, Ozel also said.

“He no longer has legitimacy. He fears elections. He fears the streets,” the CHP chair added.

Fact-check: Erdogan did indeed call Trump around 60 hours prior to the Imamoglu operation

According to an official statement from Erdogan’s presidency of communications, Turkey’s president called Trump on March 16. Imamoglu’s home was raided by police during early morning hours of March 19.

The call was said by the communications officials to have addressed the bilateral relations of Turkey and the US, along with regional and global matters.

Erdogan, they added, expressed his belief that Turkey and the US, as two allies, will advance their cooperation in the new era with solidarity, a results-oriented approach and sincerity.