(AGENPARL) – Wed 19 March 2025 Image
PRESS RELEASE
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Ref. CG013(2025)
Council of Europe Congress strongly condemns the arrest of Istanbul Mayor
“We strongly condemn the arrest of the democratically elected Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, which bears all the hallmarks of the pressure on a political figure considered as one of the main candidates in forthcoming presidential elections – especially as it took place a few days before Mayor Imamoglu’s CHP party should decide on its presidential candidate, and follows the decision of Istanbul University to revoke Mayor Imamoglu’s degree, which is one of the conditions for presidential candidates.
“In three separate elections, the citizens of Istanbul have unequivocally placed their trust in Mayor Imamoglu, and these pressures can only be seen as running counter to the will of the people.
“We will continue to follow closely the situation and will raise the issue at the meeting of the Congress Bureau on Monday 24 March, when the Bureau should decide on the proposal to hold an urgent debate focusing on the dismissal of mayors in Türkiye during next week’s Congress session in Strasbourg.”Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
Communication Unit
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is an institution of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 46 member states. Composed of two chambers – the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions – and three committees, it brings together 612 elected officials representing more than 130 000 local and regional authorities.
President of the Congress: Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities: Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Regions: Tunç Soyer (Türkiye, SOC/G/PD).
Political groups: Group of Socialists, Greens and Progressive Democrats (SOC/G/PD), Group of the European Peoples Party (EPP/CCE), Independent Liberal and Democratic Group (ILDG), European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR).
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Council of Europe/Conseil de l’Europe, Avenue de l’Europe, Strasbourg, . 67000 France