Election for Bayrampaşa acting mayor annulled

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul court has annulled the interim mayoral election in Bayrampaşa, following the arrest of the district’s mayor, over an objection from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Hasan Mutlu from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was arrested in September as part of a corruption investigation and was temporarily suspended from his duties.

During his absence, the district council held a vote to appoint an acting mayor, resulting in the election of a CHP member.

In the first three rounds of voting, invalid ballots prevented a conclusive result, pushing the election to a fourth round. Tensions rose during the fourth round as the AKP and CHP candidates remained tied.

The deadlock led officials to decide on a draw to determine the winner, which resulted in the CHP retaining the municipality.

The AKP appealed the decision, and on Oct. 10, the court accepted the appeal and annulled the election.

A new vote will now be held, local media said, though a date for the elections has not yet been announced.