[REVISION HISTORY]

Legal and political disputes in Turkish municipalities

Updated 23 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-10 22:24 UTC → 2026-09-11 07:06 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Legal and administrative disputes involving Turkish municipal officials continue to evolve following various removals and investigations. In Balçova, Mayor Onur Yiğit resumed his duties in late August after a two-month suspension. Similarly, officials from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality returned to their posts after being detained and removed as part of an İBB-related case. In Üsküdar, the leadership transition remains highly contested following the arrest of Mayor Sinem Dedetaş on charges including bribery and extortion. Investigations suggest approximately 361 million TL was illegally obtained through the municipality and its subsidiary, Kent AŞ. Following the defection of four CHP council members to the AK Party, Dündar Ziya Gültekin of the Cumhur İttifakı won the deputy mayor election on September 8, 2026, shifting control to the AK Party. YENİ Parti has launched legal challenges and criminal complaints, labeling the process a ‘planned conspiracy’ and a ‘scandal’ involving the judiciary and administration. Gökhan Günaydın of YENİ Parti characterized the process as a democracy violation and suggested the AK Party is preparing similar maneuvers for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The party’s Istanbul Provincial Chair, Özgür Çelik, reported that a defecting council member, Ayhan Aydın, claimed he was threatened with arrest and felt compelled to switch affiliations to protect his family. Consequently, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has ordered Aydın to provide a statement regarding these coercion allegations. In response to the power shift, YENİ Parti Chairman Özgür Özel has called for early local elections, stating that if the administration does not win with at least 45 percent of the vote in a renewed election, they will not accept the mandate. ~~European Parliament rapporteur Nacho Sánchez Amor characterized the takeover as a ‘blatant power grab’~~ The party has also scheduled its first grand congress for November 14-15 in Ankara and has prepared a ~~‘mockery~~ backup party structure to ensure participation in the event of ~~democracy.’~~ a sudden election call.

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