Claim emerges that the successor to Ekrem İmamoğlu has been decided hours before the election: One name stands out in the corridors!

Following the detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19 and his subsequent arrest, the question of who would replace him had become a matter of curiosity. The person who will govern Istanbul in İmamoğlu's absence must be determined by the Municipal Council.

According to information obtained, IMM Council Member Nuri Aslan stands out as the strongest candidate in the corridors for the IMM Presidency. It is stated that the CHP will also nominate Aslan for the presidency, and there is reportedly strong support for this direction within the party.

SİNEM DEDETAŞ HAD BEEN DISCUSSED

Different names had come to the agenda for the deputy mayoral election. While the names of Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş and Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgün were brought to the fore, it was learned that CHP Group Deputy Chairman Gökhan Zeybek took a clear stance during the meetings by saying, "Our candidate is Nuri Aslan."

Nuri Aslan, who was given power of attorney by hand on March 20 following İmamoğlu's detention, has been serving as the Acting IMM Mayor since that date. With the completion of the official process, Aslan is expected to be officially appointed as the IMM Mayor, rather than just acting.

OPERATIONS AGAINST İMAMOĞLU AND THE IMM

On March 19, 2025, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and many others were detained in a mass operation. Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained on charges of establishing and managing a criminal organization, extortion, bribery, bid-rigging, recording personal data unlawfully, and cooperating with a terrorist organization; he was found guilty of the charges other than supporting a terrorist organization and was arrested. The terrorism charge was decided to be dismissed.

Within the scope of the same operation, a total of more than 100 people, including İmamoğlu's advisor Murat Ongun and some district mayors, were detained. These developments took place at a time when discussions regarding İmamoğlu's potential candidacy for the next presidential election for the Republican People's Party (CHP) were ongoing.

CHP leaders condemned the detention decisions, describing them as a "coup attempt," and expressed their support for İmamoğlu. On March 23, twenty people were arrested, including Medya A.Ş. Chairman of the Board and İmamoğlu's advisor Murat Ongun, Istanbul Planning Agency (İPA) President Buğra Gökçe, İmamoğlu İnşaat General Manager Tuncay Yılmaz, and IMM Kültür A.Ş. General Manager Murat Abbas. While forty-eight people were arrested along with İmamoğlu in the corruption investigation, three people were arrested in the terrorism investigation, and judicial control decisions were issued for forty-one people.