People attend a protest rally in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, March 20, 2025, against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) People shout slogans in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday,

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu had emerged as Turkey’s strongest political challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But that threat may have dissipated after Imamoglu was detained by Turkish authorities on March 19 on charges of alleged corruption and aiding a terrorist organization.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday the main opposition party was seeking to cover up its own mistakes and deceive people with "theatrics", in his first comments on the detention of Istanbul's mayor.