Tens of thousands of protesters have taken part in demonstrations across Turkey after the main rival to the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was formally arrested and charged with corruption, BBC reported.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was scheduled to be chosen in a vote on Sunday as the Republican People's Party's (CHP) 2028 presidential candidate.

The nation witnessed the greatest rioting in over a decade on Sunday night, with protestors being shot at with rubber bullets and tear gas in response to his arrest, according to BBC.

The accusations made against him, according to Imamoglu, are driven by politics. "I will never bow," he posted on X prior to being placed under arrest on remand.