Nationwide Protests and Political Tensions in Türkiye

Türkiye’s most extended anti-government protest in a decade is ongoing in 55 provinces, including major cities such as Ankara and Istanbul. They were sparked as Ekrem Imamoğlu, the city mayor of Istanbul and presidential candidate of the Republican People’s Party, was detained on corruption and terrorism charges on March 19^th. Protesters, with the majority being students and young adults, strongly denounced this act as politically motivated. The protests that erupted in response to the arrest of the leading presidential candidate have intensified, with more than 2,000 demonstrators and nine journalists being detained on March 23^rd. Türkiye’s Ministry of Interior has declared the protests illegal, claiming that participants had injured police with knives and used dangerous substances to harm them. In response to the arrests, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for the immediate release of the protesters. The growing anger at these protests and arrests has turned public opinion against the current Türkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from the Justice and Development Party. Erdoğan faced criticism for arresting Imamoğlu, the most powerful opponent of his government, just days before the 2028 presidential elections. Impacted by the politcal and social turmoil, the Türkish currency, lira, has since sharply depreciated against the dollar and the Türkish government is making efforts to recover the losses by raising interest rates. The situation has led to conflict and chaos across the country, negatively impacting the country’s economy and society.