Ekrem İmamoğlu speaks after Union of Municipalities meeting: 'Trustee practices are reminiscent of coup eras'

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu made statements following the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye council meeting. İmamoğlu stated, 'Türkiye must get rid of this administration, and the way to do that is through the ballot box.'

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Ekrem İmamoğlu speaks after Union of Municipalities meeting: 'Trustee practices are reminiscent of coup eras'

IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu spoke after the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye council meeting. On İmamoğlu's agenda were the decisions to appoint trustees to the districts of Esenyurt, Mardin, Batman, and Halfeti in Şanlıurfa.

IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu stated that local democracy and the will of the people are being interfered with through trustee practices in Türkiye, and that the powers granted to the Minister of Interior by the constitution are being abused. Noting that the authority to suspend from duty granted to the Minister in the constitution is intended only for exceptional circumstances, İmamoğlu said, "These practices are deeply wounding our democracy."

''TÜRKİYE IS HEADING TOWARD A TOTALITARIAN REGIME''

Emphasizing that trustee appointments are taking Türkiye away from the elected democratic process and toward a totalitarian regime, İmamoğlu expressed that this situation is reminiscent of anti-democratic practices during coup eras. "These decisions evoke periods when democracy was suspended. People's labor is being ignored, and moving away from democracy will also have severe economic consequences," he said.

ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY IS INCREASING

Stating that moving away from democracy also negatively affects the Turkish economy, İmamoğlu said, "Because of these policies, our country has become one of the most vulnerable economies in the world. Our people are in the midst of severe financial hardship."

THE FREEDOM TO VOTE AND BE ELECTED IS BEING DESTROYED

İmamoğlu expressed that trustee appointments and interventions against municipalities have become systematic and that the right to vote and be elected is being suppressed. "Despite the pressure the central government exerts on municipalities, our municipalities have done a good job. We stand against dawn raids and anti-democratic practices regardless of who they are directed at," he said, reacting to the obstruction of local governments.

THERE IS AN ADMINISTRATION THAT DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR ITSELF

Arguing that municipalities are being handed over to an administration devoid of accountability through trustee appointments, İmamoğlu said, "The functioning of municipalities is being disrupted by trustee appointments, and a management approach that does not account for itself is being adopted." He emphasized that this style of administration, which exerts pressure on municipalities, must end as soon as possible.

THE TBMM MUST ACT QUICKLY

Reminding that there are regulations in the municipal law regarding how metropolitan mayors can be removed from office, İmamoğlu said that punishments should be individual. "The trustee practice introduced during the state of emergency must now be ended. As the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye, we will hold consultations with political parties. It is essential that the TBMM intervenes in this process quickly," he stated.

At the end of his speech, İmamoğlu announced that he would hold meetings with political party leaders regarding the trustees appointed to the municipalities.

News Source: 12punto