Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu sentenced to prison and banned from political activity

(Patria) - A Turkish court today sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the biggest rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to more than two years in prison and banned him from political activity for insulting public officials. Imamoglu has the right to appeal this verdict. 

Presidential elections in Turkey will be held in six months, and Imamoglu was expected to be Erdogan's main opponent. 

Imamoglu, from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was tried for a speech after the 2019 Istanbul local elections when he said those who annulled the vote were "fools". The prosecution sought a maximum prison sentence of four years.

Imamoglu narrowly defeated the candidate from the ruling AK Party in the March 2019 municipal elections. Imamoglu won again in the repeat elections.