AKP KEEPS THE CLOCK RUNNING ON OPPOSITION MAYORS THROUGH RAIDS, RULINGS AND DEFECTIONS
Muğla and Manisa mayors denied switching to the AKP as operations against CHP and Yeni Party municipalities continued and courts delivered a string of rulings.
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CRACKDOWN CONTINUES AGAINST OPPOSITION MAYORS
Operations targeting opposition municipalities continued at full speed as six more operations were launched in eight municipalities, ending with the arrest of five mayors.
OPERATIONS AGAINST OPPOSITION MAYORS REACH MERSIN
Fresh judicial action hit opposition-run municipalities on Oct. 1, the day parliament reopened. Mersin Metropolitan Mayor Vahap Seçer, Yenişehir Mayor Abdullah Özyiğit and Mezitli Mayor Ahmet Serkan Tuncer were among 59 people detained.
ZÜLFÜ LİVANELİ'S WISE DECISION
Zülfü Livaneli made a clear decision this week. The musician and novelist put an end to the playing of his celebrated composition at opposition rallies protesting the operations that have targeted Ekrem İmamoğlu — and subsequently numerous other mayors and municipal officials — since March 19, 2025.
NOT A FILM, ALL TOO REAL: ERDAL BEŞİKÇİOĞLU ARRESTED TOO
Erdal Beşikçioğlu, mayor of Etimesgut, a satellite town of the capital, has been arrested. The charge against him is much the same as those leveled at other CHP mayors: 'Forming a criminal organization for the purpose of corruption.'
YENİ PARTY BECOMES MAIN OPPOSITION AS DETENTIONS CONTINUE UNABATED
The Yeni Party became Turkey's main opposition party soon after its founding, with 91 lawmakers among its founders. Mayors and municipal council members continued to join the party, while the crackdown against its supporters continued at full speed across the country.
NİMET ÖZDEMİR: THE MP WHO NEVER WEARS OUT A PARTY BADGE
As the countdown to early or on-schedule elections picks up pace, transfers of lawmakers and mayors are happening at an astonishing pace. Among them, Istanbul MP Nimet Özdemir stands out. Özdemir won her parliamentary seat for the first time in 2023 — under the İYİ Party banner.
CHP MAYORS FACE COURT AS WIDE-RANGING CORRUPTION TRIAL STARTS
Hearings have begun in a corruption probe involving municipalities run by the main opposition CHP, following investigations launched in March 2025. The case marks the first major trial stemming from the allegations, ahead of a separate prosecution involving Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu that is set to begin on March 9. The CHP’s legal strategy and the court’s approach to the defendants are expected to shape Turkey’s political agenda over the many years the trials are expected to take.
AS LONG-WAITED INDICTMENT EMERGES, CHP LAUNCHES COUNTEROFFENSIVE
Amid a sustained crackdown on opposition-run municipalities, CHP Chair Özgür Özel has begun unveiling alleged corruption within government-affiliated municipalities. Özel disclosed specific dates, figures, locations, names—and even codes linked to a secret witness—to support his claims. His announcement follows the release of the first indictment involving businessperson Aziz İhsan Aktaş, whose testimony led to the arrest of seven CHP mayors.
CHP MAYORS: SOME IN JAIL, SOME JOINING THE AKP
Burcu Köksal, the CHP mayor of Afyonkarahisar, joined the AKP this week. With her addition, the number of mayors who have left the CHP and joined the ruling party since the 2024 elections has reached 17.
RULING AKP OPENS DOOR TO SCRAPPING TRUSTEE SYSTEM IN KURDISH PEACE TALKS
A key lawmaker, Mustafa Şen, from Turkey's ruling AKP suggested that the government should discontinue the practice of appointing state trustees to replace elected mayors. 'The terrorist organization has concluded its activity. Therefore, if a trustee was appointed to a municipality for that reason, we believe the practice should now be ended,' Şen stated.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ENTAILS RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR TURKEY
Donald Trump won the presidential elections just as Turkey witnessed a new wave of elected mayors being replaced by trustees. A leader who threatens retribution against his political enemies will be ruling one of the world’s supposedly most democratic countries.