Newly elected local administrations in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast have revealed significant financial mismanagement by their predecessors, with massive debts and sabotaged infrastructure emerging.
These revelations follow the 31 March local elections, which saw many municipalities transition from the control of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party.
The DEM Party-led administrations in regions including Siirt (Sêrt), Kurtalan (Misirc)/Siirt and Mardin (Mêrdîn) have publicly detailed the debts incurred by the state-appointed trustees, amounting to billions of Turkish Lira, as part of a broader effort to address and resolve inherited financial challenges.
Mardin showcases an additional dimension of the fiscal irresponsibility under the previous trusteeship with its extravagant spending on political events and gifts. Particularly in the lead-up to the elections, it was revealed that a staggering 9.8 million TL was expended within just over a month, with significant amounts allocated to hosting and facilitating a campaign event for then-President Erdoğan.
In addition to financial burdens, reports from Urfa’s (Riha) Ceylanpınar (Serêkaniyê) and Van (Wan) highlight significant operational issues due to the deliberate destruction or mismanagement of municipal assets. In Van’s İpekyolu (Rêya Armûşê), for instance, all security camera footage was deleted just days before the elections, which co-mayor Rahşan Yazar described as an attempt to “bind our hands and prevent us from serving”.
Co-mayors across the affected regions are conducting thorough assessments of the damage and initiating legal actions against those responsible for the mismanagement. “We have inherited a complete disaster, but we are committed to rectifying these issues and improving the lives of our citizens,” stated Uğur Kahraman, co-mayor of Ceylanpınar in Urfa.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of the fiscal irregularities reported so far by the DEM Party:
Siirt: The new administration disclosed debts totalling 456 million Turkish Lira left by the previous trustee, displayed prominently on city billboards.
Mardin: Disclosures showed debts totalling 3.5 billion Turkish Lira, with significant issues in the Mardin Water and Sewerage Administration (MARSU).
Muş‘s (Mûş) Malazgirt (Milazgir) and Tatvan (Tetwan): Public disclosures revealed debt increases over five years, with Malazgirt and Tatvan’s debts standing at 324 million and 1.2 billion Turkish Lira, respectively.
Batman (Êlih): Over 3 billion Turkish Lira in debt was disclosed, covering extensive liabilities across taxes, social security, and bank loans.
Urfa’s Ceylanpınar: 75 percent of the municipal vehicle fleet was left inoperable, with significant parts such as engines missing.
Van’s İpekyolu: Security camera footage and archival images were deleted just days before the elections.
Siirt’s Kurtalan: Disclosed debts of 165 million Turkish Lira, with detailed postings of each debt category on public billboards.
