TURKEY / ISTANBUL

Europe condemns the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor. Street protests continue

March 2025: Despite international condemnation and overnight street protests, Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu remains in police custody (20 March 2025). Imamoglu is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, and his detention came just days before the centre-left CHP party was expected to name him as its candidate for the 2028 presidential election.

 

The largest opposition party CHP spoke of a “coup attempt against the country’s next president”. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the arrest as “extremely worrying”. She warned that Turkey, as a member of the Council of Europe and EU accession candidate, must respect democratic values and, in particular, the rights of elected officials. The German government also criticised the arrest and spoke of a “serious setback for democracy in the country on the Bosporus”.

 

Protests against the arrest took place in Turkey on the night of Wednesday to Thursday (19/20 March). Despite a ban, thousands of people gathered in front of the city administration in Istanbul amid a large police presence, according to the German Press Agency (DPA). The crowd called on Erdoğan to resign and accused him of trying to eliminate his biggest rival by arresting him. According to the media, there were riots and arrests on the fringes of the protests.

 

Imamoğlu is seen as potentially the most promising challenger to Erdoğan in the presidential election scheduled for 2028. The crackdown on the mayor marks a new high point in the persecution of opposition figures that has been ongoing for months. The government rejected any political connection.

 

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TURKEY / ISTANBUL

In a political crackdown, Turkish police arrest the popular Mayor of Istanbul

March 2025: In what political observers describe as a coup against the democratically elected Mayor of Istanbul, Turkish police, with the backing of the government, arrested Ekrem Imamoglu early in the morning of Wednesday, 19 March 2025. According to Turkish and foreign journalists based in Istanbul, the police also arrested dozens of the Mayor’s supporters. Without providing any details, Turkey’s public prosecutor's office accused the Mayor of corruption. The news agency Anadolu reported that the charges related to activities in connection with tenders issued by the city administration.

 

On its website, the news agency Reuters reported that the move against Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, was called "a coup attempt" by the opposition and appears to cap an aggressive months-long legal crackdown on opposition figures across the country which has been condemned as a politicised attempt to silence dissent.

 

Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Turkey's largest city, is the most popular and outspoken opponent of President Recep Erdogan. Twice, he won the mayorship of Istanbul against candidates from Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), and if presidential elections were to be held today, polls say the Imamoglu would defeat President Erdogan. The Mayor appeals to both moderate conservative and secular Turks. Before his arrest, the social democratic Republican People's Party (CHP) had planned to confirm Imamoglu as its candidate for the next presidential election.

 

A further investigation is also underway. Imamoglu and six other people are suspected of supporting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the public prosecutor's office said in its statement. The background to this is cooperation between the social democratic CHP and the pro-Kurdish DEM party in the local elections. The two parties had worked together to win the majority in municipalities. The Turkish government sees the DEM as a political arm of the banned PKK. The party vehemently denies this.

 

The leader of the CHP party, Özgür Özel, spoke of a coup attempt and a decisive moment for the future of Turkish democracy. The CHP is the largest opposition party in Turkey. The people should be prevented from choosing the next president themselves. He called on the 1.7 million party members to take part in the CHP's internal top candidate election on Sunday despite the arrest.

 

Hours after the Mayor, the Istanbul Provincial Governor's Office imposed a four-day ban on demonstrations, gatherings and news until Sunday. Selected streets in the city centre will be closed, and several railway stations are to be closed. The measures were justified on the grounds of maintaining public order. The apparent aim is to prevent protests.

 

Ankara’s Mayor Mansur Yavas announced he was suspending consideration of his presidential candidacy in a show of solidarity with Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. “I am announcing to the public that I am suspending my decision to ‘evaluate my presidential candidacy.”

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​FRANCE

Strasbourg Mayor doubts the sincerity of some professed allies of Ukraine

March 2025: Since Russia’s military attack against Ukraine, Europe’s local authorities have stood by the Ukrainian people, none more so than the City of Strasbourg, home of the European Parliament. While the war's initial consequences were primarily humanitarian, its repercussions now extend beyond Ukraine's borders, putting European democracies and even the Western alliance at risk.

 

On the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Mayor of Strasbourg has reiterated the City’s commitment to support the people of Ukraine unconditionally. “As Russia's large-scale war of aggression prepares to enter its fourth year, we extend our deepest sympathy and support to the Ukrainian people,” said Strasbourg Mayor Jeanne Barseghian. “In Strasbourg, where solidarity and mutual aid remain founding values of our identity, we have welcomed many Ukrainians since 2022 and are fully committed to facilitating their integration into our territory. We also cooperate with local Ukrainian associations on events to raise awareness and promote Ukrainian culture in Strasbourg, as well as on actions to help Ukrainian refugees.”

 

Mayor Barseghian questioned the sincerity of some of the players who in recent weeks have professed to negotiate without prejudice among the various players in the conflict. “Some are seeking solely to protect their strategic and economic interests in a polarised and fragmented global context, going so far as to accuse Ukraine of being at the root of the conflict.”

 

In these troubled and worrying times, the City of Strasbourg has reiterated its attachment to the principles of peace, democracy and respect for human rights, embodying the hope of a peaceful resolution to the conflict that respects the aspirations of the Ukrainian people.

 

Further reading: French women mayors | Ukraine journal | World Mayor 2025 |

 

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GERMANY

Cologne's Mayor Henriette Reker asks her fellow citizens to reject far-right hate

January 2025: More than 40,000 people gathered in Cologne on 25 January to demonstrate against a political shift to the political right in Germany and against the far-right AfD party. Cologne's mayor Henriette Reker was one of the thousands. She said she was proud that thousands of her fellow citizens had come to demonstrate in support of democracy.

 

“We want everyone in Germany to live in a country that is safe, reliable and tolerant,” said the mayor. She called on everyone in Cologne to make it clear where the path of right-wing extremists and right-wing populists leads. “We don't want a Germany that threatens millions of people with deportation and divides them into Germans and almost-Germans.”

 

The large turnout at this demonstration and many other across Germany was a great motivation to fight for democracy. “If each of us takes two people with us to the polling station on 23 February (the date of the German general election) and makes sure that people vote democratically, then together we can achieve anything.”

 

Henriette Reker also referred to the attacks on innocent civilians in Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg and Aschaffenburg, which asylum seekers allegedly committed.

 

“Of course, there is great horror at the terrible acts. We are unsettled by the fact that these acts were allegedly committed by people seeking protection in our country. But under no circumstances should this lead us to run into the arms of right-wing populists.”

 

Reker also pointed out that some 34,000 right-wing offences were committed in Germany during 2024. “This figure shows us that we must not forget that it is important that we maintain a legal order that is based on the constitution (Grundgesetz).”

 

There were numerous other speeches and musical contributions at the rally. Jakob Kindler from Cologne Pride, for example, complained: “Human dignity has long since ceased to be sacrosanct. It is regularly trampled underfoot.” Amadeo Kaus (Students against the right) demanded: “It's time to take people's concerns seriously and not leave them to the hatred and agitation of the far-right AfD (Alternative for Germany party).”

 

Pastor Miriam Haseleu made it clear: “We do not tolerate any form of anti-Semitism and racism. We need courage to speak out - in the supermarket, in the streets and on public transport. It takes courage when people are marginalised and courage to put up with different opinions. Life is diverse. You can't steer and control it.”

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Further reading: German women mayors | WeltBürgermeister 2025 |

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FRANCE

Paris Mayor Hidalgo says she will not run for a third term and names her preferred successor

November 2024: Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has announced that she will not be a mayoral candidate in 2026. At the same time, she also named her preferred successor. Hidalgo, a socialist and the French capital’s first female mayor, was first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020 for a second six-year term.

 

Ever since Anne Hidalgo ran for the office of French president in 2022, there has been speculation as to the mayor’s plans after her second term in office. After receiving less than two per cent of the vote in the presidential election, there is little likelihood that she will run again. Many believe that she would like to enter the European Parliament for the Socialist Party. Internationally, especially in the capital cities of Europe, she is well respected. She has often liaised with her European colleagues, and many of her achievements have been admired and copied. She is also thought to be close to the female mayors of Washington DC and Los Angeles.

 

Anne Hidalgo’s greatest success was probably the successful organisation of this year's Olympic Games. Contrary to many pessimistic predictions, the Paris Metro system coped with the rush of visitors quite smoothly. And the security precautions ensured that everything went peacefully.

 

But the Mayor is best known for her many measures to ban cars from the centre of Paris. In 2016, she got rid of a dual carriageway running along the River Seine to turn it into a leafy pedestrian zone. Her administration also created a network of bike lanes and, after a referendum, trebled parking fees for SUVs and banned rental e-scooters.

 

But Mayor Hidalgo also has her critics. She is accused of merely shifting traffic and causing even heavier concentrations of cars elsewhere while also allowing security, cleanliness and public transport to deteriorate. In her interview with Le Monde, the Mayor insisted there had been a clear improvement in security while acknowledging the city still had some extremely tough areas.

 

In Le Monde, the Mayor expressed her hope that Senator Rémi Féraud would succeed her. “I know him well and have liked him for a very long time; he is the person who will be able to carry on our history and reinvent a future for Paris. He has the necessary solidity, seriousness and ability to bring people together. We have fought so many battles together, he as mayor of the 10th arrondissement and I as Mayor of Paris,” Anne Hidalgo told the newspaper.

 

In 2026, the Socialists are likely to face challenges from some formidable opponents. France’s right-wing culture minister and an outspoken critic of Mayor Hidalgo is thought to be contemplating running for Mayor. Former deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire, who has icy relations with Hidalgo despite sharing the same political family, has also expressed his intention to stand. In a crowded field, another name being mentioned is President Macron’s former prime minister, Gabriel Attal, while the Communist senator Ian Brossat has also expressed an interest.

 

France 24 reports that the right of French politics will be eager to win back the Paris Hôtel de Ville (city hall), which since 2001 has been in the hands of the Socialists.

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On other pages: French women mayors | Maire du Monde 2025 |

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