Istanbul's opposition-controlled municipal council elected an interim mayor.

The news was reported by the NTV television channel after Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was jailed pending trial on bribery charges. He and his supporters deny them and call them politicised.

The detention last week of Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's biggest political rival, sparked the biggest anti-government demonstrations in more than a decade and led to mass arrests. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets across the country in mostly peaceful protests.

The 314-member municipal council, in which the main opposition party has a majority, elected Nulli Aslan as Istanbul's new mayor with 177 votes.

The interim mayor will rule the city until the end of Imamoglu's term, who is awaiting trial. | BGNES