Thousands of people gather in Istanbul for the second night to protest against the arrest of the mayor Mamolus

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Thousands of people gathered outside the town hall of Istanbul for a second consecutive night to protest against the reception of the city mayor, which many consider a politically motivated attempt to eliminate a key rival from the next presidential race.

Ekrem Mamolu, an eminent political opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdoan, was arrested on Wednesday after a dawn raid at his residence in the context of alleged corruption surveys and terrorist links.

Prosecutors accuse him of exploiting his financial gain position, including the poor distribution of government contracts.

In a separate investigation, prosecutors also accuse him of having helped the Kurdistan workers' party (PKK), allegedly forming an alliance with Kurdish groups for the municipal elections of Istanbul.

The PKK, behind a several decades insurrection in Türkiye, is appointed a terrorist organization of Ankara, the EU, the United States and other allies.

It was not clear when the authorities begin to question the mayor, who can be detained without accusation up to four days.

Analysts say that Mamolu could be withdrawn from his functions and replaced by a “fiduciary mayor” if he is officially accused of links to the PKK.

Mamolu's detention has deepened concerns about democracy and sparked demonstrations in Istanbul and elsewhere in the country, despite a four -day ban on demonstrations in the city and some road closings.

He also caused a shock wave on the financial market, triggering temporary stops in trade Wednesday to prevent the sale of panic.

AK Party rejects the accusations of interference

Critics see repression as an Erdoan effort to extend its rule more than two decades following significant losses in the ruling part of local elections last year.

Government representatives reject the allegations that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated and insist that the courts operate independently.

Omer Celik, the spokesperson for the Party of Justice and the Development of Erdoan (AK Party), rejected the allegations of the opposition according to which the detentions were orchestrated by the government and urged respect for the judicial process.

“What a politician should do is follow the legal process,” Celik told journalists. “None of us have information on the content of the file (criminal).”

He also rejected the accusations launched by the main Party Party (CHP) of the opposition that the mayor's arrest was equivalent to a coup saying: “The name of our party, our president cannot be associated with democracy on the other side of a coup.”

Earlier Thursday, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that the authorities have arrested dozens of people for sharing the content of “provocative” social media linked to the detention of Mamolu.

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The authorities have identified 261 accounts of social media which shared posts which would have encouraged hatred or public crime, including 62 who are managed by people based abroad, wrote Yerlikaya on X.

At least 37 of the alleged owners were held and the efforts to have other suspects continued.

Mamolu's arrest intervened just a few days before he was appointed CHP presidential candidate in a primary scheduled for Sunday.

The party leader said the primary will continue as planned.

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Mamolu and other accusations

Before his detention, Mamolu has already been faced with several criminal cases that could cause prison terms and a political ban.

He also called on a conviction in 2022 for insulted members of the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey, a case that could lead to a political ban.

This week, a university reduced its diploma, citing alleged irregularities in its 1990 transfer from a private university in Cyprus in the northern business faculty, a Mamolu decision said it would dispute.

The decision effectively prevents him from presenting himself to the presidency, because the position requires that the candidates be university graduates.

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Mamolu was elected mayor of the largest city in Turkey in March 2019, a historic blow to Erdoan and the AK who left the president, who had checked Istanbul for a quarter of a century.

The Erdoan party prompted to cancel the results of the municipal elections in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.

The challenge led to a rehearsal of the elections a few months later, which Mamolu also won.