Imamoglu, the detained Istanbul mayor seen as Erdogan’s key rival

FILE PHOTO: Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, re-elected on Sunday, greets his supporters after receiving the mayortal certificate in front of the Caglayan Courthouse in Istanbul, Turkey April 3, 2024. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Wednesday on charges such as graft and aiding a terrorist group, a step the main opposition party criticised as a "coup attempt against the next president".

A leading figure in the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Imamoglu, has long been seen as President Tayyip Erdogan's most formidable rival.