AKP takes over Üsküdar municipality after mayor’s arrest
Istanbul’s Üsküdar district municipal council on Sept. 8 elected the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate as the new interim mayor, wresting control of the municipality from the opposition.
The election of a deputy mayor came after Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş was arrested on Aug. 31 over alleged corruption. Over the past year, following operations targeting opposition-run municipalities, municipal council members have been electing interim mayors to replace mayors who have been arrested until the final decision by the courts.
In the Sept. 8 vote, AKP candidate Dündar Ziya Gültekin, who was also backed by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), won in the fourth round, securing 23 votes against 19 for the candidate of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
The outcome transferred control of one of Istanbul’s key district municipalities from the CHP to the AKP.
