A municipal building in Bulancak, a district of Giresun province in Turkey’s Black Sea region, previously leased at no cost to the Erdoğan-linked Turkish Youth Foundation (TÜGVA), will be repurposed as a marriage office.
The decision to reclaim the two-story building comes after Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Necmi Sıbıç narrowly won the March 31 local elections, ending almost 20 years of Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule in Bulancak. Sıbıç mentioned that the district needs a marriage office and expressed the council’s majority vote in favor of repurposing an existing building for this purpose.
During former AKP mayor Recep Yakar’s tenure, TÜGVA was granted a ten-year rent-free lease of the building. A recent report by the daily BirGün revealed that six summer schools were allocated to the youth organization founded by President Erdoğan’s son in 2023.
According to TÜGVA, these summer schools offered social and cultural activities, including Quran and other faith-related lessons to around 877 students.
TÜGVA Bulancak District Representative, Ubeydullah Göktekin, noted that such activities are likely to continue in 2024.
The Islamist TÜGVA organization has faced criticism over the past years for allegedly creating a “state within a state” by placing its members in key positions within the government while also being a frequent “favored recipient” of state tenders.
Source:Duvar English
