Nacho Sánchez Amor, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Turkey, has condemned the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) recent acquisition of the Üsküdar Municipality in Istanbul. He characterized the event as a clear power grab, alleging that the judicial and political frameworks were manipulated to overturn an earlier opposition victory. The vacancy arose after the Republican People’s Party (CHP) mayor, Sinem Dedetaş, was suspended and detained by the Interior Ministry. Although the council initially selected opposition member Sibel Tan Çetinkaya, an administrative court halted the appointment following an AKP legal challenge. Subsequently, the council held a new vote, resulting in the election of AKP candidate Dündar Ziya Gültekin by a margin of 23 to 19. This development has drawn significant international scrutiny regarding the integrity of local governance processes in Turkey.
Source : Turkish Minute
