Ekrem İmamoğlu, mayor of Istanbul and a prominent figure in the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is widely regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s primary political opponent. His arrest occurred just days before the CHP was expected to officially announce him as their candidate for the 2028 presidential election. Ironically, Wikipedia characterizes him as a “dark horse” candidate, a relatively unknown figure who emerged as a challenger in the 2019 Istanbul mayoral election. In other words, the Juan Guaidó of Türkiye.

During his tenure as Mayor of Istanbul, İmamoğlu appointed Yavuz Saltık as the Chief of Staff of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Saltık had previously served as an advisor for prominent international organizations, including the International Republican Institute (IRI), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). Notably, the IRI and NDI are key elements of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), while KAS is closely linked to the German political party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). NED gets the majority of its funding from the U.S. Congress. The origins of the NED trace back to the late 1960s, when the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) came under scrutiny for covertly backing activists and opposition groups in countries perceived to be aligning with the Soviet Union. After these CIA operations were exposed, the agency faced widespread criticism for what many viewed as underhanded interference in the affairs of sovereign nations. Following years of debate over whether and how such funding should persist, Congress ultimately established the NED in 1983. 

Unsurprisingly, Trotskyist factions are rallying behind what appears to be another color revolution, aimed at “balkanizing” Iran, establishing Greater Kurdistan, and undermining China and Russia.

Related:

Flashback 2019: Could the US force regime change in Turkey- The short answer is yes.

Given recent going’s on in Turkey, including the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor- and early rumbles of a colour revolution.. Let’s go back to 2019. Keeping in mind this article hails from the time of Trump’s first presidency

Briefly, Istanbul’s mayor was shady, tied to western NGO’s and banksters!

…

Trump is no issue for the US. He’s been a good servant to elite and Israeli interests. This is about Erdogan and Turkey, but it’s been dressed up in Democrat friendly language. Remaking the region. Creating the Israeli desired Greater Kurdistan. Balkanizing Iran. Weakening Russia and China. It’s all right out in front of us. In plain sight. And it has been for years.

Amnesty International – Türkiye: Massive escalation in ongoing crackdown including arrest of Istanbul mayor

Human Rights Watch (HRW)- Türkiye: Istanbul Mayor Detained

Amnesty International & HRW: Front Organizations

The SDF equals the YPG/PKK/Kurds: A timeline of the PKK’s war on Turkey