Balçova municipality appoints Selahattin Yıldız as interim mayor

Following a corruption and bribery investigation that led to the suspension and house arrest of Balçova Mayor Onur Yiğit, the municipal council convened an extraordinary session to select a replacement. In a vote of 20‑to‑0, with three blank ballots, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Selahattin Yıldız was elected as mayor deputy. Yıldız pledged to serve the community, emphasizing legal restoration of the previous mayor and a focus on serving the residents of Balçova.

The council’s decision came after the Interior Ministry’s request on 3 July to remove Yiğit from office, which the İzmir governor approved. Yıldız’s appointment is provisional pending the outcome of the ongoing legal proceedings against Yiğit.