The Terrifying Istanbul Earthquake: Why Did the Turks Cast Their Anger at Ekrem Imamoglu?

When the ground trembled beneath the feet of Istanbul's residents on April 23, 2025, it wasn’t just the earthquake that drove people into the streets in panic, but a deep sense of betrayal.

For years, Turks had listened to the reassuring promises made by Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of Istanbul, who is currently suspended amid corruption charges. 

His speeches, filled with hopeful rhetoric, spoke of grand plans to prepare the city for the long-anticipated Istanbul earthquake.

He had emphasized the need to strengthen infrastructure and restore thousands of buildings vulnerable to collapse, yet the recent earthquake did more than shake the ground—it exposed the fragility of those preparations and the stark gap between what had been promised and what was delivered.

In the midst of fear, anger erupted. Many Turkish activists and politicians took to social media, questioning why Imamoglu had slashed the earthquake preparedness budget and why so many old, crumbling buildings remained unrepaired, despite his assurances.

They also questioned the billions previously allocated for the city’s protection, and with each unanswered inquiry, the questions multiplied, deepening the sense of doubt.

A Terrifying Rehearsal

The recent earthquake registered a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter in the Sea of Marmara, just off the coast of Istanbul, Turkiye’s largest city by both area and population. It was followed by over 185 aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 4 to 5.

Turkiye's Minister of Health, Kemal Memisoglu, reported on X that 236 people were injured, including 173 in Istanbul. 

Fifteen individuals received hospital treatment, while others were injured after jumping in panic from buildings.

Residents across all districts of the city, home to 16 million people and situated between the Bosphorus Strait, the Sea of Marmara, and the Black Sea, felt at least two strong earthquakes, just milliseconds apart.

According to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), no significant damage was reported to the city's energy or water infrastructure, spanning both the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus.

In the aftermath of the tremor, a scientific debate erupted over whether the recent earthquake was the long-anticipated "big one" expected to strike Istanbul.

Professor Dr. Naci Gorur, a member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences, addressed this question, stating, "This is not the major earthquake we have been anticipating in the Marmara region."

"This earthquake does not mark the big one we have been expecting. Instead, it adds to the pressure building along the fault line. In other words, it forces the fault to eventually rupture. The real earthquake here will be stronger, exceeding magnitude 7," Gorur told the BBC.

In response to questions from BBC Turkish, Professor Dr. Okan Tuysuz, a member of the Academy of Sciences and a geologist, stated, "The 6.2 magnitude earthquake is significant due to concerns that it may be a precursor to a larger, more destructive quake."

Anger at Ekrem

In the hours following the earthquake, the hashtag "deprem" — meaning "earthquake" in Turkish — quickly spread across Turkiye's X.

Amid the aftermath of the earthquake, sharp criticisms were directed at Istanbul's suspended mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, with sociologist Mustafa Dogan among those voicing discontent. 

"While Istanbul was anticipating the earthquake, Imamoglu was busy looting the city, as if distributing money to secure his bid for presidency."

"I will transform 100,000 houses in 5 years, 20,000 per year" before taking office, could not go further than building approximately 500 houses for CHP robbers through Kiptas," Imamoglu promised.

"Ekrem Imamoglu said in 2019, ‘I will solve the earthquake problem in 5 years,’ 6 years have passed, but not a single step has been taken in Istanbul for urban transformation. He blatantly lied to all Istanbulites," Turkish journalist Yusa Ovenc posted on X.

Turkish political activist Nilay Nur listed all of Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's promises regarding earthquake preparedness, tweeting, "What has Imamoglu done to protect us from earthquakes? In 2019, he said 'we are implementing the earthquake mobilization plan,' which is 

exactly what he did in 2020 and 2023."

The Turkish-focused page TR99 media highlighted two contradictory statements from Ekrem Imamoglu regarding the earthquake, one made before and the other after his mayoral tenure.

The page shared a clip from an interview before he was elected mayor, in which he said, "I can solve the earthquake aftermath within five years."

They then juxtaposed it with another interview after he took office, where he stated,"This is impossible. If they couldn’t achieve it in 25 years, how can they expect me to do it in five?"

What has Imamoglu accomplished?

The question arises: does the suspended mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, truly deserve this level of anger? The numbers and achievements themselves provide an answer to why the residents of Istanbul are so frustrated with their mayor.

On April 23, 2025, the Turkish news outlet Haber 7 published a report assessing Imamoglu’s efforts regarding earthquake preparedness throughout his tenure as mayor of Istanbul.

It was noted that "the budget allocated for urban transformation (a project aimed at developing the city and preparing it for a major earthquake) by the administration of the Republican People’s Party in 2025 is a mere 0.89%."

"Meanwhile, during the tenure of the Justice and Development Party, 5.5% of Istanbul's municipal budget was spent on earthquake-related efforts."

"After taking office, Imamoglu reduced the urban transformation budget from 65% to just 1%," the report continued.

It cited a previous statement Imamoglu made on the "Quarter Century" program on 17 August 2024, where he expressed the gravity of the impending earthquake, saying, "The anticipated Marmara earthquake is not just an Istanbul issue, but a matter for Turkiye as a whole. The pain in any part of the country is our pain, but this earthquake is a particularly critical issue for Turkiye."

Despite being fully aware of the risks, as he himself has stated, Imamoglu’s administration has, according to media reports, managed to renovate and prepare only 5,925 homes over five years, out of an estimated total of 100,000 homes.

In other words, less than 6% of the target set for preparing the city for a major earthquake has been achieved.

The Istanbul mayor had previously promised to build 100,000 homes over five years, with a goal of 20,000 homes per year.

Restoration Halted

What is even more shocking is that Imamoglu and the leadership of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in Istanbul, who have been at the helm of the city's municipality, not only failed to deliver on their promises but also contributed to stalling the urban transformation project.

As revealed by the Turkish news outlet, it was found that Imamoglu and members of the CHP's executive board had filed 43 separate lawsuits in various districts to block urban transformation efforts.

They filed a total of 27 separate lawsuits to delay the renewal of old buildings—10 in the municipality of Uskudar, 9 in the municipalities of Gaziosmanpasa, Esenler, and Beyoglu, and 8 in Tuzla.

Imamoglu, from his detention in Silivri, Istanbul, tweeted on the day of the earthquake to criticize the government, “This dear nation… how long will it take to endure these incompetent people who burn and destroy everything in their path for their greed for power, who set their sights on the bread of the people?”

"Those who sacrifice the resources that should be used to address earthquake risks for the sake of conspiracies?"

This prompted Turkish journalist Nedim Sener to respond, stating,"His only role during his second term as mayor was his presidential campaign and increasing his power within the Republican People’s Party."

"The only thing that can be said about this message from Imamoglu, who has been sending out messages about declaring mobilization for the earthquake for six years, yet has done nothing but hold meetings and events, is this: It's an audacity that sends a chill down your spine," Sener stated.