Breaking News: Deputy mayor election in Üsküdar postponed

Following the arrest and suspension of Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş, the CHP candidate Sibel Tan Çetinkaya had won the deputy mayor election. However, it was decided to repeat the election after an objection by the AKP was accepted.

The Istanbul Governor's Office had announced that it was deemed appropriate for the Üsküdar Municipal Council to convene on Saturday, September 5, at 10:00 AM to elect a deputy mayor.

It has been learned that the deputy mayor election, which was planned to be held today, has been postponed to September 8. The reason cited was the failure to reach a simple majority.

FIRST STATEMENT FROM CHP

CHP spokesperson Müslim Sarı announced in a statement on his social media account that the CHP and YENİ Party groups had decided not to attend, and that the election was postponed to September 8 because a simple majority could not be reached.

In his statement, Sarı said, "We have decided as the CHP and YENİ Party group not to participate in the Üsküdar Municipality Deputy Mayor election to be held today, in order to ensure that our Municipal Council member colleagues who are currently in custody can cast their votes. Thus, as a simple majority could not be reached, the election has been postponed to Tuesday, September 8, 2026."

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While the election process was ongoing, 4 CHP municipal council members had switched to the AKP, and in a separate operation, 3 municipal council members were taken into custody. YENİ Party leader Özgür Özel had also reacted to the election being held while council members were in custody.