Imamoglu, the powerful alternative to Turkey's Erdogan

For 16 years Erdogan as prime minister, and then president of Turkey, tightened his grip on Turkish politics, proving forecasters of all hues wrong about his ability to remain in office, including seeing off an attempted coup d’etat in 2016

His party’s candidate in the crucial mayoral election in Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest city, lost to Ekrem Imamoglu. Indeed, the result in a re-run of voting, after Erdogan objected to the original result in March, reconfirmed the first outcome by a much bigger majority. AKP had previously ruled Istanbul for a quarter of a century

Imamoglu prevailed even in religious precincts of the city. His healing touch in a climate of confrontation and divisive politics struck a chord. He united a disparate opposition, including drawing in the secular nationalist Iyi party. Imamoglu can now be deemed to be a powerful alternative to Erdogan in Turkey’s national sphere

Imamoglu swept the election by the biggest margin in Istanbul’s history for 35 years. In the brief period he administered the city before facing a second ballot, his team uncovered corruption linked to tenders worth US $4 billion awarded to Erdogan’s family 

Erdogan’s hardline on a wide section of the opposition as a response to the coup may have troubled his people. It has certainly concerned countries in Europe and North America. Turkey possessed a relatively independent judiciary

But thousands of judges were purged after the coup and replaced by pro-Erdogan justices. Besides, all concerned function in an atmosphere of tension. Under Erdogan, Turkey has also sunk like a stone in international human rights and press freedom indexes

But as always, more importantly, an underperforming economy is probably the primary cause of the public’s discontent. Indeed, Turkey’s economic woes could worsen if the United States carry out its threat of economic sanctions because of Ankara placing an order for the Russian S-400 missiles system, despite being a member of the western military alliance North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

The opposition in Turkey has been muzzled ever since Erdogan came to power. But Imamoglu’s win could have a cataclysmic effect. A national election is not due until 2023; there’s already talk, though, that Erdogan may not succeed in holding on that long. Indeed, Erdogan’s predecessor as president is about to unveil a breakaway party