By Gonul Tol

Turkey is now a full-blown autocracy

Why Erdogan may come to regret his latest power grab

Just days before Turkey’s main opposition party was set to select its next presidential candidate, the leading contender, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested and jailed, effectively removing him from the race. In this brazen act of political suppression, the Turkish government has taken a momentous step toward full-fledged autocracy.

Turkish police arrest Istanbul mayor, a key Erdogan rival

Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul’s mayor — a popular opposition leader and key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — and several other prominent figures as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links. The detention of Ekrem Imamoglu was a dramatic escalation in a crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices in Turkey.