Breaking News: Üsküdar Municipality passes to the AKP

Four rounds were completed in the renewed election for deputy mayor at Üsküdar Municipality. At the end of the four rounds, the AKP-MHP group's candidate Dündar Ziya Gültekin was elected deputy mayor with 23 votes. The joint CHP-YENİ Party candidate Sibel Tan Çetinkaya received 19 votes.

Throughout the election, it was noted that the AKP-MHP group received more votes than its 21-member seat count in the council. Gültekin, who received 22 votes in the first round, 22 in the second, and 23 in the third and fourth rounds, thus completed the election with support exceeding the number of members in his group.

INVALID VOTE CONTROVERSY IN THE FIRST ROUND

In the first round, one of the 22 votes cast for Dündar Ziya Gültekin was challenged because the candidate's name was written as “Düdar.” One of the votes cast for Sibel Tan Çetinkaya was also challenged.

On another ballot containing Çetinkaya's name, the vote was declared invalid because a period was placed at the end of the name. Following the objections, the valid votes in the first round were recorded as 21 for Gültekin and 19 for Çetinkaya.

As an absolute majority could not be reached, the second round of voting began.

AKP-MHP CANDIDATE PROCEEDED BY EXCEEDING GROUP COUNT

The AKP-MHP and CHP-YENİ Party groups each have 21 members in the Üsküdar Municipal Council. Despite this, it was noted that Gültekin received 22 votes in the first round and 22 in the second round.

In the second round, Çetinkaya remained at 20 votes, while Gültekin received 22 votes. As an absolute majority could not be reached, the third round began.

In the third round, Gültekin's vote count rose to 23. Çetinkaya received 19 votes. Objections were filed regarding three votes in this round.

With Gültekin reaching 23 votes, two more votes were cast than the 21-member seat count of the AKP-MHP group. It is not yet known which member cast the vote that shifted to the AKP.

RESULT DID NOT CHANGE IN THE FOURTH ROUND

In the fourth round, Gültekin received 23 votes and Çetinkaya received 19. Thus, the election was completed without the picture from the previous rounds changing.

According to unofficial results, Dündar Ziya Gültekin has become the new deputy mayor of Üsküdar Municipality.

THE PICTURE WAS DIFFERENT IN THE AUGUST 5 ELECTION

Today's result in Üsküdar also changed the picture that emerged after the first deputy mayoral election held on August 5.

In the first election held after Sinem Dedetaş was suspended from office, the CHP candidate Sibel Tan Çetinkaya was elected deputy mayor with 22 votes, while the AKP candidate received 18 votes.

Upon the AKP's objection, the court decided on August 25 to renew the election. The decision included grounds that “irregularities were committed in the election” and “election security was violated.”

In the renewal election held on September 6, an absolute majority could not be reached because some council members from the CHP and YENİ Party groups did not attend the meeting. The election was postponed to today.

FOUR CHP MEMBERS SWITCHED TO AKP BEFORE THE ELECTION

Before the renewed election, the political landscape in the Üsküdar Municipal Council also changed. CHP members Amine Cansu Çelik and Ekrem Baki were arrested as part of an operation conducted before the election. In addition, four CHP council members switched to the AKP shortly before the election.

Thus, the picture in which Çetinkaya won with 22 votes in the August 5 election changed in favor of Gültekin in the renewed election.

While the YENİ Party and CHP district chairs announced in a joint press conference yesterday that they would act together in the election, YENİ Party Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik also alleged that the four council members who switched from the CHP to the AKP were taken out of Istanbul to prevent them from contacting their families.

BALLOT RESULTS IN ÜSKÜDAR HAD ALSO POINTED TO THE CHP

In the March 31, 2024 Local Elections, CHP candidate Sinem Dedetaş won the election in Üsküdar by receiving 157 thousand 605 votes. The AKP candidate Hilmi Türkmen remained at 133 thousand 814 votes.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DEDETAŞ AND TÜRKMEN WAS 23 THOUSAND 791 VOTES.

Today's deputy mayoral election concluded after four rounds of voting by the municipality's elected council members. Thus, in Üsküdar, which brought the municipality to the CHP on March 31, the deputy mayoral seat passed to the AKP-MHP candidate as a result of the renewed council vote.

News Source: 12punto