AKP candidate wins repeat vote for Bayrampaşa acting mayor
ISTANBUL
The ruling bloc led by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has reclaimed control of Bayrampaşa Municipality on Oct. 26 after its candidate, İbrahim Akın, was elected acting mayor in a repeat council election triggered by the arrest Hasan Mutlu.
The initial Sept. 21 election — which the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) won by lottery after four inconclusive rounds — was annulled when Akın’s objection was upheld.
A counter-objection by the CHP was rejected, and the Istanbul Governor’s Office ordered a rerun.
The tense session, livestreamed on the municipality’s YouTube channel, descended into a brief scuffle between AKP and CHP council members after ballots were cast. Security officers also intervened earlier when two AKP-marked votes were ruled invalid.
As in the first election, the AKP ran Akın, while the CHP nominated Recep Öztürk. Neither side reached the required majority in the first three rounds. In the decisive fourth round, Öztürk received 18 votes while Akın secured 19, handing the AKP-led bloc the post.
Celebrating the outcome, Akın said the vote had “brought AKP municipal administration back to Bayrampaşa, which has been deprived of service for 18 months.”
Meanwhile, CHP's Mutlu accused authorities via his lawyers on X of “repeating the elections in violation of the law” and “disregarding the will of the people of Bayrampaşa.”
He won the district in the March 2024 local elections with 46.7 percent of the vote. The mayor was later arrested along with 25 others in a wide-ranging corruption probe.
The Interior Ministry removed him from office one day after his arrest. Prosecutors say the investigation covers allegations of embezzlement, bribery, aggravated fraud and bid rigging. Mutlu maintains there is no concrete evidence to justify his detention.
