Istanbul’s popular mayor faces the threat of being banned from politics on Wednesday in a trial stemming from his surprise election victory over an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2019. Ekrem Imamoglu’s fate is being watched closely for signs of judicial independence nine months before a general election in which Erdogan will struggle to extend his two-decade rule. The 52-year-old Imamoglu is the most internationally recognised of the opposition leaders who might run against Erdogan. He also has the most intense personal rivalry with the powerful Turkish leader. Imamoglu was stripped…