Turkey protests are about far more than fate of Istanbul's mayor

Freedom and democracy have been steadily eroded in the Erdogan era, writes Orla Guerin.

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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.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqlywl04pklo

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