Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Monday called for the rapid conclusion of a wave of legal cases targeting opposition-run municipalities, a campaign that has led to the arrest of 17 mayors from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and fueled the largest street protests in Turkey in a decade.
The detentions are part of a far-reaching crackdown launched in late 2024, which the government says is aimed at fighting corruption and terrorism but which critics describe as a politically motivated purge designed to weaken the CHP. Authorities have arrested at least 17 CHP mayors — including those of İstanbul, Adana, Antalya, Adıyaman and several key districts — along with hundreds of municipal officials.
The most prominent target has been Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, widely seen as President Erdoğan’s strongest electoral rival. İmamoğlu was detained in March on corruption and terrorism-related charges, days after Turkey’s election board annulled his university degree, blocking him from running for president. His arrest triggered mass demonstrations in major cities, drawing comparisons to the 2013 Gezi Park protests in both scale and intensity.
Bahçeli urged that “justice must come to full fruition” once the judiciary’s summer recess ends. He said ongoing investigations and trials involving municipalities should be completed “swiftly” to end what he described as unfounded disputes undermining national morale. While backing the legal process, his emphasis on speed and closure has been interpreted by some political analysts as a sign of unease over the crackdown’s protracted nature.
The government maintains the operations are lawful and necessary, citing alleged links between some local administrations and outlawed groups such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. Prosecutors have also brought fraud and abuse-of-office charges against CHP mayors, saying the cases are based on evidence gathered in long-running investigations.
The CHP rejects the allegations as baseless and politically driven, accusing Erdoğan of weaponizing the courts to remove elected rivals and install government-appointed trustees in opposition strongholds. Human rights groups and Western governments have voiced concern over the detentions, warning that they erode democratic norms.