[REVISION HISTORY]

Asuman Şen elected Deputy Mayor of Menderes Municipality

Updated 5 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-19 08:51 UTC → 2026-08-20 07:45 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The Menderes Municipality in İzmir is undergoing a leadership transition following the removal and arrest of Mayor İlkay Çiçek. The Ministry of Interior removed Çiçek amid an investigation involving charges such as “forming a criminal organization,” “bribery,” “misconduct in office,” and “causing environmental pollution.” Following a contentious four-round voting process, AK Parti’s Asuman Şen was elected Deputy Mayor. The election was marked by significant tension and physical altercations; the CHP group walked out during the second round due to disputes over invalid votes, and a physical scuffle involving punches broke out between members of different groups during the third round. The AK Parti victory was facilitated by the opposition's inability to unite. Despite YENİ Parti’s previous pledge to support a CHP candidate in the final rounds, the split in opposition votes allowed Şen to win the fourth round with 15 votes, defeating YENİ Parti candidate Barış Gürsoy, who received 12 votes. This outcome shifted control of the municipality from the CHP to the AK Parti, despite CHP and YENİ Parti members holding a combined majority in the council. The election has triggered sharp political fallout and internal disciplinary scrutiny. CHP spokesperson Müslim Sarı blamed the YENİ Parti for dividing the opposition. Consequently, the CHP is evaluating disciplinary actions against members who failed to follow instructions. Specifically, council member Harun Bila faces expulsion proceedings following allegations that he voted for the AK Parti candidate. Internal instability has also affected the YENİ Parti. Two council members, Şirzat Peker and Füsun Demir, resigned from the party to serve as independents, citing poor management of the candidate selection process and a failure to achieve consensus.

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