AKP takes control of İstanbul’s Üsküdar district in council vote amid opposition claims of judicial threats

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) took control of İstanbul’s Üsküdar district after its candidate won a municipal council vote to replace suspended mayor Sinem Dedetaş, as the opposition alleged that council members who switched sides had faced pressure from prosecutors.

Dündar Ziya Gültekin, the candidate of the AKP-led ruling alliance, defeated Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Sibel Tan Çetinkaya by 23 votes to 19 in the fourth round of voting yesterday.

Üsküdar, a Bosporus-side district on İstanbul’s Asian side, had traditionally been regarded as a conservative stronghold. The main opposition CHP won the district in the 2024 local elections, ending decades of conservative control. Dedetaş also became Üsküdar’s first woman mayor.

Dedetaş was detained on Jul 29 and subsequently arrested as part of an investigation into building and occupancy permit procedures at the municipality. Prosecutors accuse Dedetaş and other municipal officials of forcing contractors to obtain services from a municipal subsidiary during licensing procedures.

The investigation is part of a countrywide crackdown on municipalities run by the main opposition party following its major success in the 2024 local elections, which saw more than 30 mayors suspended, including those of major cities like İstanbul, Bursa, and Antalya. The opposition claims the operations are politically motivated while the government maintains that they are based on corruption allegations.

The Interior Ministry suspended Dedetaş on Aug 1 citing the criminal investigation against her. Under Turkish law, when a mayor is suspended, the municipal council elects an acting mayor from among its members.

First election annulled by court

The CHP initially held a council majority and its candidate won the acting mayor vote on Aug 5 by 22 to 19 votes.

Gültekin challenged the council decision at the İstanbul 2nd Administrative Court. The court found that five ballots declared invalid in the third round clearly showed which candidate had been selected and should not have been rejected.

The court also said tensions during a 10-minute break between the third and fourth rounds raised doubts about whether the election had been conducted in a sound and secure manner.

On Aug 24, the court suspended the execution of the council decision. The İstanbul Regional Administrative Court rejected the municipality’s appeal on Sep 2, prompting the İstanbul Governor’s Office to call a new election under Article 45 of the Municipal Law.

CHP members change sides

The balance in the council shifted over the past week after some council members were detained and four CHP members resigned from the party and joined the AKP.

At the first acting mayor election, the CHP had 27 council members while the AKP and its ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), had 17. Following the defections, the CHP’s representation fell to 23 while the AKP-MHP bloc increased to 21.

Four additional detentions took place shortly before the latest vote, including a deputy mayor, a deputy speaker and two council members.

In the first round of yesterday’s election, AKP’s Gültekin received 21 votes and Çetinkaya 19. Two ballots among the 42 cast were declared invalid, one because of a dot on the ballot and another because a letter was missing, preventing either candidate from securing the required absolute majority.

Gültekin received 22 votes to Çetinkaya’s 20 in the second round and 23 to 19 in both the third and fourth rounds. Two of Gültekin’s votes in the final round were challenged, but the council chair declared him elected.

After the result was announced, Gültekin said, “Dedetaş won an election here after 30 years. It is an honor to work with her.”

Members of the New (Yeni) Party, which was founded by Özgür Özel after he was removed by a court as the head of the CHP, protested outside the municipal building. According to an ANKA broadcast, one protester said, “They will jail my elected mayor and make someone who was not elected my mayor.” Another said, “You bought them with money, you stole our will.”

Opposition claims threats to council members

Özgür Çelik, identified as New Party’s İstanbul provincial chair, later alleged that council member Ayhan Aydın, one of those who left the CHP for the AKP, had told him that a prosecutor threatened him with arrest.

“Ayhan Aydın called me crying,” Çelik said. “He said, ‘The prosecutor threatened me with arrest. My son and my wife are disabled. Who will look after them? I surrendered to them because there is no one else to take care of them.’”

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into Çelik’s claim on its own initiative. Prosecutors also ordered Aydın to appear before the office to provide information about the allegation.

Çelik separately alleged that the four council members who switched parties had been prevented from communicating with their families and kept at a hotel outside İstanbul for four days under police supervision.

“What happened after these four council members were transferred?” Çelik said. “One of them had a brother come from Africa and try to reach him to say, ‘Don’t make this mistake.’ One of their families tried to contact him. These people were kept at a hotel outside the city for four days, and our state’s police were stationed over them.”

He also alleged that İstanbul Governor Davut Gül and police officers were involved. (VK)