Manisa mayors clash over budget and investment disputes

A political dispute has emerged in Manisa between Gördes Mayor İbrahim Büke and Manisa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Besim Dutlulu regarding budget allocation and regional investments.

Mayor Büke claimed that Gördes has failed to receive the necessary investments from both the central government and the metropolitan municipality. He criticized the distribution of public resources, alleging that partisan attitudes and “cronyism” hinder the resolution of long-standing local issues despite the district's limited budget.

Mayor Dutlulu responded via social media, calling Büke’s claims an “outrage.” Dutlulu highlighted an ongoing 120 million lira drinking water project in Gördes as evidence of metropolitan support and criticized Büke for making unsubstantiated claims. Büke later clarified that his comments were a general critique of the systemic distribution of resources rather than a direct personal attack on Dutlulu.