Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is stepping up pressure on his main political rivals: in nine months, more than 500 people linked to the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) have been detained across the country, Reuters reports.

According to the agency, only municipalities where representatives of the CHP, the founding party of modern secular Turkey, came to power were targeted. Among those arrested are 14 elected mayors, including Istanbul's Ekrem Imamoglu, who is considered Erdogan's main rival in the next presidential election.

The “octopus” and a growing network of accusations

Erdogan himself calls the investigation a fight against a “corrupt network resembling an octopus” whose “tentacles extend beyond Turkey's borders.” The opposition, however, claims that this is an attempt to destroy the democratic alternative and hold on to power at any cost. “These investigations have become a tool of political pressure rather than an objective examination of the facts,”

said former culture and tourism minister Ertuğrul Günay, who left the ruling Justice and Development Party after mass arrests of protesters in Gezi in 2013.

Imamoglu in jail, protests and a weakening lira

Imamoglu, mayor of the country's largest city with a population of over 17 million, was arrested in March on corruption charges. He denies all charges. His detention sparked the most massive protests in Turkey since Gezi and a brief collapse of the Turkish lira.

According to Reuters, more than 500 people have been questioned since October last year, when the investigation began. In the last week alone, more than 200 people have been detained, of whom more than 220 remain in custody or under house arrest.

“Political calculation” and fear of elections

Political analysts and diplomats link the events to growing concern among the authorities: after the ruling party's major defeat in municipal elections last March, the CHP controls the country's largest cities, including Istanbul, Izmir, and Antalya.

“This reflects the panic in the ruling party ahead of the upcoming elections,” Gunay said.

Although the next presidential election is not scheduled until 2028, opponents fear that Erdogan may try to change the constitution to run for another term.

Lawyers and businesspeople under investigation

The investigation has affected not only officials but also entrepreneurs working with municipalities. According to the agency, many of those detained are giving repeated statements under so-called “effective repentance” — after which they are released under judicial supervision, but this leads to new arrests.

Erdogan: “This is not politics”

Erdogan himself and his ministers reject accusations of interference in the courts. “This is a legal process, not a political one. We are not involved in it,” the president said at a recent meeting of his party.

At the same time, Imamoglu's lawyer, who is also in custody, told Reuters that the mayor has “not a single piece of evidence” against him. No indictment has yet been issued.

New arrests expected

The investigation continues to expand. This week, searches and arrests took place in Izmir, Antalya, Adana, and other cities where the CHP won the last elections.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel called the arrested mayors “prisoners of a coup against Ataturk's party.” For this statement, a new investigation has been launched against him for “insulting the president.”