ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Nuri Aslan, of Turkey’s opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was elected acting mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality on Wednesday, a week after fellow party member Ekrem Imamoglu was removed from the position following his controversial arrest.

Zeynel Abidin Okul, of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), was Aslan’s challenger in the vote held in the municipality building on Wednesday.

Aslan bested Okul in two rounds of vote, but was not able to obtain the votes of two-thirds of the council members, required for the appointment, leading to a third round, in which an absolute majority was sought.

Aslan scored an absolute majority in the third round, gaining 177 votes out of 302.

Following his election, Aslan told reporters that he was only temporarily filling the position until Imamoglu’s return, who he said, “will come back as soon as possible.”

Imamoglu, who will be the main rival of Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the upcoming presidential elections, was detained by security forces las week on multiple charges including bribery, extortion, money laundering, and aiding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

His arrest sparked large demonstrations across the country in recent days, with Turkish authorities arresting over 1,400 protesters. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya described the demonstrations as an “attack our national and spiritual values.”

Despite his arrest, Imamoglu was formally declared as CHP’s nominee for the 2028 presidential race.

A day before his arrest, Istanbul University revoked Imamoglu’s university degree on the grounds that it was falsely obtained, a move the CHP described as a political “coup”.