The contrast is striking. On one side, there is the convoy of white cars taking Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and 51 co-defendants to Silivri prison, one of Europe's largest prison complexes on the outskirts of the city, on the morning of Sunday, March 23. On the other, endless queues of voters at polling stations set up throughout the country by the Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition force, to designate Imamoglu as their candidate for the next presidential election in 2028.

When put side by side, the two scenes speak volumes about the whirlwind that has engulfed Turkey since Recep Tayyip Erdogan had his rival and his top aides arrested on March 19. Late on Sunday night, images of police brutally intervening against demonstrators rounded off another crazy day.

According to a count published by the party, "out of 15 million votes cast, 13,211,000 expressed their solidarity" with Imamoglu, the only candidate standing. He welcomed the news from prison, saying it made him "very happy." "Tens of millions of people in this country, who suffer from oppressive government, a ruined economy, incompetence and lawlessness, have rushed to the polls to tell Erdogan that enough is enough," he wrote in a statement forwarded by Istanbul City Hall. He concluded, "The ballot box will come, and the nation will give this government a slap it will never forget." Earlier in the day, after his imprisonment, Imamoglu had denounced this "execution without trial." "I stand tall, I will never bow down," he said, adding, "We will tear down this coup d'état, this dark stain on our democracy, together."

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