Three prominent mayors from Turkey’s main opposition party Republican People’s Party (CHP) were arrested on the morning of July 5, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on his political opponents ahead of the 2028 presidential election intensifies, according to state-run media reports.

The mayors — Abdurrahman Tutdere of Adiyaman, Zeydan Karalar of Adana, and Muhittin Böcek of Antalya — were detained following investigations launched by the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office, Turkish media reported. All three are senior members of the CHP, which has seen growing electoral support in major urban centres in recent years.

Their arrests come just four months after Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was jailed on corruption charges in March in a case widely criticised by international observers. Imamoglu, a prominent rival to Erdoğan, was later named as the CHP’s presidential candidate, sparking mass protests and intensifying tensions between the government and opposition. “I will never bow,” Imamoglu said from jail ahead of a vote to endorse him as the candidate who can topple Erdogan.

In further remarks posted on social media, Imamoglu criticised his “politically motivated” arrest as a "black stain on our democracy". His comments came after he was formally charged with "establishing and managing a criminal organisation, taking bribes, extortion, unlawfully recording personal data and rigging a tender". He was also stripped of his office of mayor of Istanbul.

This publication has long argued that Imamoglu is seen as a “real threat” by Erdogan, whom he has been unable to neutralise, and who urges people across the country to join protests and to participate in elections.

Erdogan was roundly criticised for the decision to arrest his biggest rival and dubbed a “dictator” by many. Analysts warn that the blatantly political nature of the arrests of Imamoglu and now three more of his colleagues is extremely risky as it may galvanise the opposition and the electorate. It will also impact the economy as foreign investors are already leaving, citing political instability.

Other senior CHP figures have also been targeted in recent days. Earlier this week, the former mayor of Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, was arrested alongside 137 municipal officials on allegations of fraud and rigging public tenders, Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, the CHP mayor of Manavgat was detained with 34 others in a separate corruption probe, state media said.

The Turkish government has defended the actions as part of an anti-corruption drive. However, opposition leaders and rights groups have condemned the arrests as politically motivated and intended to weaken the CHP’s leadership ahead of the next national election.