The election for the acting mayor of Üsküdar Municipality is being held again today. The election, which is taking place at the municipality following the death of Dündar Ziya Gültekin in a traffic accident, will begin at 10:00 AM.
It was learned that the YENİ Party decided not to field a candidate ahead of the election, which is heading to the ballot box for the third time for the acting mayor position.
Here are the developments as they happen...
10:40 | FIRST ROUND HAS BEGUN
The CHP and YENİ Party did not field candidates in the Üsküdar acting mayoral election. The first round of voting has begun in the election where the People's Alliance candidate, Muhammed Emin Sarıoğlu, is participating as the sole candidate.
10:30 | YENİ PARTY IS NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE ELECTION
YENİ Party Deputy Chairman Yaşar Tüzün announced that his party will not participate in the Üsküdar acting mayoral election.
Describing the election as "illegitimate," Tüzün stated that municipal council members have been detained, arrested, and subjected to pressure.
10:00 | ELECTION HAS BEGUN
Following the arrest and precautionary suspension of Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş, and the subsequent death of Dündar Ziya Gültekin—who had won the acting mayoral election—in a traffic accident, the Municipal Council has begun a new election for the acting mayor position.
The Üsküdar Municipal Council convened at 10:00 AM to determine the new acting mayor.
CHP AND YENİ PARTY DID NOT FIELD CANDIDATES
Prior to the election in Üsküdar, CHP Spokesperson Müslim Sarı had announced that his party would field its own candidate and that the YENİ Party would also participate in the election with a separate candidate. However, following developments on the day of the election, the YENİ Party decided not to participate in the voting. The CHP also did not nominate a candidate for the acting mayor position.
Thus, the joint candidate of the AKP and MHP, Muhammed Emin Sarıoğlu, became the sole candidate in the acting mayoral election.
YAŞAR TÜZÜN: 'THIS ELECTION IS NOT LEGITIMATE'
YENİ Party Deputy Chairman Yaşar Tüzün announced in a statement before the election that his party would not participate in the voting.
Reminding that the distribution of members in the council had been altered due to detentions and arrests targeting municipal council members, Tüzün used the following expressions:
“Today's election is not a legitimate election. It is an illegitimate election. Because our municipal council members have been detained, arrested, and subjected to threats and blackmail. The arithmetic count has been changed here. Therefore, as the YENİ Party, we are not participating and will not participate in this illegitimate election.”
Tüzün stated that his party would continue its opposition duties in subsequent municipal council meetings and would continue to defend the will of the 157 thousand 65 voters who cast their ballots for them in Üsküdar.
CRITICISM DIRECTED AT CHP MANAGEMENT
Criticizing the statement by CHP Spokesperson Müslim Sarı that there were nine members each from the CHP and YENİ Party in the municipal council, Tüzün noted that the vast majority of members appearing as registered with the CHP act in coordination with the YENİ Party. Tüzün said, “Although there appear to be 9 members in the CHP on paper, the vast majority are in consultation with our YENİ Party friends and share a unity of heart with us.”
Reacting to the absence of CHP officials at the election in Üsküdar, Tüzün said, “I would like to express that it is not right to sit in Ankara, send a tweet, and make a post.” In his statement regarding the CHP management, Tüzün said, “If they say they have 9 votes, let them field a candidate here today, let them get their 9 votes, and let us see.”
PEOPLE'S ALLIANCE CANDIDATE MUHAMMED EMİN SARIOĞLU
AKP İstanbul Provincial Chairman Abdullah Özdemir had announced before the election that the joint candidate of the People's Alliance was Muhammed Emin Sarıoğlu.
According to the shared member distribution, there are 23 AKP members, 9 CHP members, and 9 YENİ Party members in the Üsküdar Municipal Council.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş was detained on July 29 as part of an investigation into allegations of irregularities and was arrested on July 31. Dedetaş was suspended from duty as a precautionary measure by the Ministry of Interior on August 1.
Following this, in the first acting mayoral election held on August 5, CHP's Sibel Tan Çetinkaya was elected with 22 votes, while AKP's Dündar Ziya Gültekin remained at 18 votes. Upon Gültekin's application, the court stayed the execution of the municipal council's decision regarding the election.
In the fourth round of the renewed election on September 8, Gültekin received 23 votes and Çetinkaya received 19, and Gültekin was elected to the acting mayor position. After Gültekin lost his life in a traffic accident in Düzce on October 15 while traveling to Ankara to attend a Union of Municipalities of Turkey meeting, it was decided that a new election would be held in Üsküdar.
News Source: 12punto
