Politicians and other representatives of the large opposition party CHP are accused of corruption, suspicions that are dismissed by outsiders as politically motivated.
Among those now arrested is the mayor of the central district of Beyoglu, according to Turkish media. In total, over 25 such district mayors from CHP have been arrested.
Ekrem Imamoglu, one of Turkey's most popular politicians and mayor of all of Istanbul, has previously been imprisoned, which has led to record-sized demonstrations in the NATO country.
Outside experts have warned that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to undermine the opposition in this way ahead of the parliamentary and presidential elections to be held by 2028 at the latest. Imamoglu has been mentioned as a potentially strong candidate. And Erdogan himself became known and popular at the beginning of his career through the mayoral post in Istanbul.
