• Lira plunges 12% to all-time low of 42 to the dollar
• Imamoglu faces charges of corruption and aiding PKK
• CHP calls detention a coup attempt against next president
• Erdogan’s govt denies criticism, says judiciary independent
• Next election scheduled for 2028 but could come sooner

ISTANBUL, March 19 (Reuters) - Turkey detained Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the main rival of President Tayyip Erdogan, on charges of corruption and aiding a terrorist group in what the main opposition party on Wednesday called “a coup against our next president”.

The move against the popular two-term mayor caps a months-long legal crackdown on opposition figures across the country which has been criticised as a politicised attempt to hurt their electoral prospects and silence dissent.

Turkey’s lira currency crashed as much as 12% to an all-time low, opens new tab of 42 to the dollar in response, underscoring worries over the eroding rule of law in the major emerging market and NATO member country that Erdogan has run for 22 years.

Imamoglu, 54, who leads Erdogan in some opinion polls, was to be named his Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) official presidential candidate within days. He now faces two separate investigations that also include charges of leading a crime organisation, bribery and tender rigging.