Rampant irregularities are reported in Turkey’s municipalities as the local elections loom, especially in those led by mayors from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
In Mersin’s Akdeniz Municipality, a dire financial crisis unfolds as the AKP-led administration resorts to transferring 14 valuable properties to the Social Security Institution (SGK) to cover a 72 million Turkish Lira debt. Among the assets transferred are four school buildings, three mosques, a health clinic and a headman’s office, covering a total of 61 acres.
Özgür Çağlar, a council member from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), criticised the move as a desperate attempt to offload municipal properties. “The municipality’s assets are being distributed like the possessions of a sinking ship,” Çağlar stated. He revealed that a company under the municipality had failed to pay SGK premiums for 18 months, leading to the substantial debt. Despite opposition from DEM Party members, the motion to transfer the assets passed, further exacerbating the municipality’s debt burden.
The municipality of Akdeniz, previously managed by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and later administered by a government-appointed trustee from December 2016 to March 2019, came under the control of AKP’s Mustafa Gültak post-2019 elections. Çağlar pointed out that during this period, numerous debts accumulated, and several properties were allocated to ministries, sold, or transferred to cover expenses. He pointed to the inability of the current administration to manage the municipality effectively, leading to a significant financial burden.
