On June 5, the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (TBB) elected Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality representing the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), as its president. İmamoğlu won with 515 votes, defeating his opponent Ahmet Metin Genç, the mayor of Trabzon in northern Turkey, who received 250 votes.
İmamoğlu’s council list included 14 mayors from the CHP, the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, the nationalist İYİ (Good) Party, and the radical Islamist New Welfare Party (YRP). No mayors from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) or its ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) were elected to the council.
In his commencement speech, İmamoğlu mentioned the 2024 local elections, emphasizing a clear message sent to all political cadres: that winning elections with politics aimed at annihilating each other is not possible.
According to the mayor, the first step for the union was to boost cooperation among municipalities. This cooperation would also help establish better relationships between local administrations and the central government.
He concluded his speech by saying, “I will fight for justice wherever there is unfairness. I promise you solidarity and justice.”
Before the election results were announced, Ahmet Türk, the mayor of the southeastern province of Mardin and a member of the DEM Party, expressed his dissatisfaction with the appointment of a trustee to the Hakkari Municipality. Türk said, “Unfortunately, we see that the will of the people is being overridden today. I strongly condemn the removal of our Hakkari Mayor from office.”
Some mayors in the hall responded by saying, “We do not condemn it,” raising their voices in opposition to Türk. The proceedings halted for a few minutes as the mayors argued from across the auditorium.
Every district, provincial, and metropolitan municipality of Turkey is represented in the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (TBB). The union represents municipalities at both national and international levels and organizes programs and events to improve local governments.
Source:Duvar English
