Could a trustee be appointed to the IMM? Who is Istanbul Governor Davut Gül? How old is he and where is he from?

Following the detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) President Ekrem İmamoğlu yesterday morning on charges of being the 'leader of a criminal organization for profit,' the prosecutor's office stated in a second announcement that İmamoğlu and his deputies had committed the 'crime of aiding the PKK/KCK terrorist organization.' This statement brought up the possibility that a trustee could also be appointed to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

A TRUSTEE HAD BEEN APPOINTED IN ESENYURT

Following the detention of Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer during operations targeting CHP-run municipalities, the first trustee appointment had been carried out. On October 30, 2024, Özer was detained "within the scope of investigations conducted to identify the members and activities of the PKK/KCK terrorist organization," and a trustee was appointed to replace him after he was removed from office.

WILL A TRUSTEE BE APPOINTED TO THE IMM?

If Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality President Ekrem İmamoğlu and Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, who were named in the second statement by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, are arrested, they could be removed from office and replaced by a trustee.

In the event that a trustee is appointed to the IMM, the possibility of Istanbul Governor Davut Gül being among the potential candidates has begun to be discussed. Previously, during the repeated Istanbul elections in 2019, former Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya had replaced İmamoğlu when his mayoral position was revoked. So, who is Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, who is rumored to be a potential trustee for the IMM? How old is he and where is he from?

WHO IS DAVUT GÜL?

Istanbul Governor Davut Gül was born in 1974 in the Horasan district of Erzurum. After completing his primary and secondary education in Horasan, he attended high school at Istanbul Kadıköy Mehmet Beyazıt High School. He later graduated from the Department of International Relations at Near East University in Cyprus. He began his professional career in 2000 as a district governor candidate in Gaziantep.

Throughout his career, Davut Gül held various positions, serving as acting district governor in the Kavaklıdere district of Muğla and the Kemalpaşa district of İzmir. After completing his internship abroad in England, he received a master's degree from Ankara University's Faculty of Political Sciences. He was then appointed as a district governor in the Kofçaz district of Kırklareli. He served as district governor in the Şirvan district of Siirt between 2003-2005, as deputy governor in Karaman between 2005-2006, and as district governor in the Gürün district of Sivas between 2006-2009.

In 2009, he was selected as the "District Governor of the Year" by the Turkish Administrators Association and was deemed worthy of the Martyr District Governor Ersin Ateş Award. Following his service as district governor in Gördes and Şarkışla, he served as Head of Department at the Ministry of Interior's General Directorate of Local Administrations in 2015. He served as the Governor of Sivas from June 9, 2016, to November 5, 2018, and as the Governor of Gaziantep from November 6, 2018, to June 7, 2023.