Days before he was to be announced as the next presidential candidate of Türkiye’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, was arrested on 19 March with charges of corruption, bribery, and supporting terrorism. Alongside Mayor İmamoğlu, over 100 others were arrested on the same day for “provocative” social media posts—part of a wide crackdown on opposition to the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP). The man behind this manoeuvre, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been internally criticised for this action, which seems to be the latest move in his steady erosion of Turkish democracy beginning in 2010. The CHP’s response has been one of outrage, with the Group Deputy Chairman, Özgür Özel, stating that İmamoğlu’s arrest came “from the very top of the state.” In the aftermath of İmamoğlu’s arrest, thousands have been taking to the streets in Istanbul daily, violating the country’s restrictive protest laws to reject the treatment of the mayor as well as the actions of President Erdoğan and the AKP. What has become one of the largest protest movements in Türkiye in a decade has so far seen over a thousand protesters arrested with no obvious signs of slowing down. As of now, the extent of how these arrests and protests will affect the country is unclear, but no doubt, President Erdoğan will be looking tentatively towards the 2028 election. Officially, as he has already served three terms, he would be unable to run for a fourth, but a constitutional change to allow such a move is not yet out of the question. With the courts choosing to uphold İmamoğlu’s arrest four days after the protests began, the mayor has posted on social media, stating that “the will of the people cannot be silenced through intimidation or unlawful acts.”

Erdoğan has been the on-and-off leader of Türkiye since 2003. First as Prime Minister until 2017, when he switched the country to a Presidential system, serving as the President. For 15 years Erdoğan has eroded democracy, at first through increasing and centralising the power of the head of state, then transitioning into more extreme measures such as taking control of the media, military, and judiciary, and jailing those that oppose him. The president already survived one major coup attempt in 2016, but not without a cost: over 300 people lost their lives. If he continues on the path he is currently going down, it is almost certain that more will be killed.

It is evident that President Erdoğan has arrested Mayor İmamoğlu and over a thousand citizens in an attempt to extend his now over two decades of power in Türkiye. The choices Erdoğan has been making for Türkiye are troubling, and İmamoğlu’s arrest is just the latest in a long list. As of now, both the United States and the European Union have expressed concern over the arrest, but have done nothing major to oppose it. As such, it seems like the most likely form of resistance will come internally in Türkiye. The thousands that have taken to the streets in Istanbul the day of and in the days after the arrest show that the Turkish people are fed up with the current government. This is certainly not the first time people have taken to the streets in opposition to the actions of the president, but with the CHP successfully announcing İmamoğlu as their candidate for the next election, it seems like the opposition is unwilling to back down. A healthy democracy is vital to a healthy society that can ensure long-lasting peace, and if Erdoğan continues to face significant resistance from rival politicians and Turkish citizens, a road to democracy is possible. However, long-lasting peace will be more difficult to achieve without support from allies. The international community should be making stronger efforts to support the citizens of Türkiye in their opposition.