The mask has slipped in Ankara. And in its place? A performance of power so brazen, it barely pretends to be anything else.
Ekrem Imamoglu – Istanbul’s mayor, Erdogan’s chief political rival, and the man many saw as the next president – has been arrested. The charges? Corruption. The timing? Suspiciously precise.
Just days after launching his presidential bid, the courtroom curtain rose on what critics are calling Erdogan’s most dangerous act yet: weaponising the judiciary to eliminate democracy’s leading man.
Descent into authoritarian theatre
More than 600 protesters have already been arrested. Political demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir are banned. Even entering the cities to march is forbidden. The optics are clear. The message louder still: Challenge the throne, and you vanish from the stage.
Imamoglu, defiant, called his arrest a “black stain on democracy.” And he’s right. This is the most senior opposition figure jailed under Erdogan’s watch. It’s not about justice – it’s about narrative control. In Turkey’s brutal political theatre, Erdogan still insists on playing both director and star.
Markets don’t lie
The fallout? Markets are skittish. The lira’s wobbling. Investors, once charmed by Erdogan’s supposed economic recovery plan, are beginning to see the strings.
Let’s not forget: Erdogan can’t run again – constitutionally. But his allies are already plotting to rewrite the script. That’s the endgame. Clear the stage of rivals. Rewrite the rules. And then re-emerge for an encore.
A bleak outlook for Turkey
In Silivri prison, where Imamoglu joins a growing list of dissidents, the message is chilling: in today’s Turkey, opposition isn’t defeated – it’s detained.
This isn’t just a political crackdown. It’s authoritarian theatre, and the world is watching from the cheap seats – aghast, but alarmingly silent.
