The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli has urged a swift conclusion to the judicial proceedings involving Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who is currently detained in Silivri Prison over allegations of corruption, bribery, and irregularities within the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
In a strongly worded statement, Bahçeli said the trial must be swiftly concluded, with all testimonies and evidence thoroughly added to the case file. “If the suspect is innocent, he should be acquitted. If guilty, the punishment must be delivered promptly and in accordance with the public conscience,” he said.
Bahçeli harshly criticized the main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), accusing it of pushing Türkiye into chaos and discord. He claimed that the CHP was resorting to a crisis-driven and anarchic political agenda, exacerbated by “uncontrolled ambitions” and a lack of principles. He argued that the party’s leadership was disregarding national values and legal norms, which he warned could severely damage Türkiye’s democratic and legal order.
He also criticized CHP Chairman Özgür Özel for what he described as an “arrogant and reckless” political approach, saying, “No citizen who respects the rule of law and loves their country would engage in the type of rhetoric or actions we are seeing.”
Bahçeli further denounced the CHP’s symbolic headquarters move to Silivri Prison as a political stunt and mocked the party’s internal primary election, calling it “a farce” and “theater.”
Responding to Özel’s calls for snap polls and nationwide signature campaigns, Bahçeli said, “No one has ever been released from prison based on signatures, nor has any country ever gone to early elections because of them.” He warned that if the campaign was a cover for stirring unrest, those responsible would face serious legal and political consequences.
“The Turkish nation will never hand over the Republic to a CHP mindset that clings to foreign powers,” Bahçeli said, adding that it is the people’s will that ultimately seals and protects the nation’s democracy – not fabricated campaigns or populist slogans.
Emphasizing Türkiye’s growing diplomatic influence, particularly as the Antalya Diplomacy Forum garners international attention, Bahçeli said the MHP and the People’s Alliance are determined to resist what he called “destructive politics” and safeguard the country’s future.
“Özgür Özel’s reckless politics will collapse. The Turkish Republic will never be surrendered to hypocritical, bankrupt, and two-faced politics,” he concluded.
Imamoğlu testified Friday at the opening of a trial over accusations of threatening a public prosecutor, one of the several legal cases that could result in a prison sentence and a political ban.
allegations include İmamoğlu approving a major housing development, though it was against regulations, and helping the developer build more houses on an empty plot of land at the heart of Beylikdüzü district, which he governed between 2014 and 2019.
In total, the 53-year-old opposition politician faces five separate court cases – four of which could result in a political ban – and is the subject of three ongoing investigations.