Tension at the Büyükçekmece Council: Mayoral election begins with a dispute
Following the arrest of Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgün and the subsequent arrest of Ahmet Şahin, who had been elected as his deputy, the Municipal Council went to the polls once again. A dispute broke out between members of the press and council members during the mayoral election.
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Following a series of arrests at the Istanbul Büyükçekmece Municipality, the Municipal Council convened to elect a new deputy mayor. Ahmet Şahin, who was elected on June 11 to replace Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgün—who was detained on June 5 and later arrested—was himself arrested on July 8.
Following these developments, the Municipal Council met for the second time in a month to elect a deputy mayor. However, the election process began on a very tense note.
SEATING CRISIS FOR JOURNALISTS
During the meeting, a dispute broke out between members of the press and council members. In the footage reflected in the broadcast, the atmosphere became tense after a journalist reacted to not being able to find a seat.
Some council members intervened in the journalist's predicament and joined the argument directly. During this time, a council member was heard responding to the journalist by saying, "Our MHP district chairman is watching from here."
"DO NOT MAKE SICK GESTURES"
As the argument escalated, voices were raised on both sides. One person said, "Do not make sick gestures."
As the tension rose, some council members and officials intervened to try and calm the parties down. After the brief tension, the situation was calmed, and the Council continued its meeting for the deputy mayoral election.