Hüseyin Benzer chosen as Buca municipality deputy mayor

Mayor Görkem Duman of Buca was arrested on corruption charges and removed from office by the Interior Ministry. The municipal council convened an extraordinary meeting to elect a deputy mayor. Sixteen council members from the CHP and eighteen from the Cumhur İttifakı voted in three rounds using secret ballot and open counting. In the first round, Benzer received 17 votes, Veli Balyemez 12, with 14 invalid votes; no two‑thirds majority was reached. The second round produced 25 votes for Benzer and 18 for Balyemez, still short of the required majority. In the third round Benzer secured 25 of the 43 valid votes, surpassing the threshold and becoming Buca’s deputy mayor. The vote was observed by İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay, party chiefs and several MPs. Benzer pledged to protect the “trust” left by Duman and expressed confidence that Duman would return to his post. The election follows a probe that led to the detention of 54 suspects, including Duman, former mayor Erhan Kılıç and former CHP district chief Çağdaş Kaya, of whom 42 were jailed.