Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) seized control of İstanbul’s Gaziosmanpaşa municipality on Wednesday after its mayor was jailed alongside two other opposition mayors, prompting local council votes to appoint acting mayors.
AKP candidate Eray Karadeniz won the interim leadership of Gaziosmanpaşa with 21 votes from the municipal council, overtaking the opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Murat Topaloğlu. The shift followed the arrest of CHP mayors Hakan Bahçetepe (Gaziosmanpaşa), Hasan Akgün (Büyükçekmece), and Utku Caner Çaykara (Avcılar) in an ongoing corruption probe widely criticised as politically motivated.
While AKP gained ground in Gaziosmanpaşa, CHP still holds majorities in the Avcılar and Büyükçekmece councils, where internal votes for mayoral stand-ins are expected soon. The political reshuffle raises fresh concerns over local democratic representation and the erosion of opposition-held strongholds in Turkey’s largest city.
