He replaced the detained mayor, smiled in the office, and hit the streets
Gaziosmanpaşa Municipality, won by the CHP in the March 31 elections, passed to the AKP following a council vote held to replace the detained Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe. Eray Karadeniz, who was elected as acting mayor, took to the field on his first day, visiting shopkeepers as if he were an elected mayor. The CHP described the process as a "usurpation of the national will."
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The AKP reclaimed the Gaziosmanpaşa Municipality, which it had lost on March 31, through an acting mayor election held yesterday. AKP member Eray Karadeniz, who posed for photos in the office yesterday and drew attention with his cheerful demeanor, took to the streets like an elected mayor and visited shopkeepers.
Karadeniz shared a video of his shopkeeper visits with the note: "I thank all our shopkeepers and neighbors for their smiling conversations and warm welcomes."
I thank all our shopkeepers and neighbors for their smiling conversations and warm welcomes.
— Eray Karadeniz (@eraykaradeniz) June 11, 2025
??Küçükköy Cengiz Topel Street pic.twitter.com/z14fhFEYih
The election for acting mayor to replace Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe, who was taken into custody, arrested, and removed from office, was won by the AKP candidate Eray Karadeniz. The CHP had interpreted the municipality's transition to the AKP as a "usurpation of the national will."