Istanbul elects interim mayor after jailing

Istanbul's opposition-run municipal council elected an interim mayor to run the city, after mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was jailed pending trial over graft charges that he and his supporters deny and call politicised.

Last week's detention of Imamoglu, the biggest political rival of President Tayyip Erdogan, triggered the largest anti-government demonstrations in Turkey in over a decade and led to mass arrests, as hundreds of thousands heeded opposition calls and took to the streets in mostly peaceful protests.

Istanbul's 314-member council, where the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) holds a majority, elected the party's Nuri Aslan to run the city with 177 votes.

The interim mayor will run the city for the remainder of Imamoglu's term, as he awaits trial.

The election of an interim mayor prevents the government from appointing a trustee to run the municipality, as it has done in several other cities, particularly in the mainly Kurdish southeast, amid a months-long legal crackdown on the opposition.

At the weekend, CHP members voted Imamoglu as the party's presidential candidate, with the next election not due until 2028.

Turkey's opposition has called for the boycott of pro-government firms, including holding companies, coffee chains and television channels, as part of protests against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Erdogan himself said the boycott calls were "irresponsible." "We will not leave anyone who works for Turkey, produces 85 million people to their mercy," he said.

Imamoglu was dismissed from his seat by the Interior Ministry following his arrest over corruption charges, which the main opposition CHP said was a coup attempt against the future president.

Turks have held rallies daily since Imamoglu was detained last week. CHP leader Ozgur Ozel has also called for the boycott of dozens of companies that are close to President Tayyip Erdogan's government, a move that opposition supporters have backed on social media.