A Turkish court on Sunday jailed President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, Istanbul Mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, pending trial on graft charges.

This is reportedly in a move likely to stoke the country’s biggest protests against the government in more than a decade.

It was gathered that the decision to jail Imamoglu comes after the main opposition party, European leaders and tens of thousands of protesters criticised the actions against him as politicised and undemocratic.

Meanwhile, Imamoglu has denied the charges, calling them unimaginable accusations and slanders.

“I am standing tall, I will never bow down. We will rip away this coup, this dark stain on our democracy all together,” Imamoglu said on X, calling on supporters not to lose hope.

However, the government has denied that investigations are politically motivated, saying that courts are independent.

It has also warned against protests, particularly given a nationwide ban on street gatherings that was extended on Saturday for four more days.

As the courtroom developments unfolded early on Sunday, members of Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party, CHP, the main opposition against Erdogan’s ruling alliance, were reportedly preparing to anoint Imamoglu as its candidate for the next presidential election.

He is said to be the only candidate and hundreds of people had flocked to polling stations for the election to show support after the court ruling, after protests and skirmishes with police continued through the night in major cities.

Graft Charges: Turkish court jails Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu pending trial