Turkey awoke Monday morning (November 4) to the news that three mayors in the country’s southeastern region had been removed and replaced by central government-appointed trustees. The three mayors, representing the cities of Mardin, Batman, and Halfeti, are all members of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party. The move follows last week’s deposition of Istanbul-Esenyurt district mayor Ahmet Özer over alleged terror ties.
ardin Mayor Ahmet Türk was replaced by regional governor Tuncay Akkoyun. Gülistan Sönük, the first ever female mayor of Batman, was removed and replaced by Batman regional governor Ekrem Canalp. Mehmet Karayılan, mayor of the city of Halfeti in the Şanlıurfa province, was removed and replaced by district governor Hakan Başoğlu. All three mayors belong to the pro-Kurdish DEM Party and were elected in Turkey’s local elections in March 2024.
Ahmet Özer, a Kurdish-origin member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) representing İstanbul’s Esenyurt district, was also removed and replaced last Wednesday (October 30).
While such depositions have been commonplace in Turkey’s heavily Kurdish southeastern provinces for years, Özer’s removal marked the first time the tactic had been deployed against a CHP official.
Protests and reactions from officials
During the afternoon on Monday, dozens of protestors, including active members of parliament, gathered in front of Mardin’s main municipal building to protest Ahmet Türk’s removal. Ahmet Türk also joined the protest and made comments to the media, saying: “We must raise our voices against this mentality that mortgages the will of the people.”
Meanwhile, CHP chairman Özgür Özel announced plans to travel to Mardin and Halfeti, and described Ahmet Türk as “a knowledgeable individual who defends peace.”
Demonstrators also gathered in front of the Esenyurt municipal building in Istanbul to protest Ahmet Özer’s removal. CHP Istanbul district chairman Özgür Çelik was also present at the municipal building and announced plans to hold a sit-in at a central square in Esenyurt starting at 17:00.
Deposed Batman mayor Gülistan Sönük made statements to a large crowd gathered in front of the Batman city hall and was filmed struggling with police forces trying to block access to the building.
DEM Party co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları travelled to Batman and made a statement in front of the city hall saying “they have carried out a coup d’etat using the hand of the judiciary.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Hatimoğulları announced she would be making a statement in Mardin with her co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan and CHP leader Özgür Özel.
Medyascope'un günlük e-bülteni
Andaç'a abone olun
Editörlerimizin derlediği öngörüler, analizler, Türkiye’yi ve dünyayı şekillendiren haberler, Medyascope’un e-bülteni Andaç‘la her gün mail kutunuzda.
Turkey’s ‘trustee’ system
Shortly after the failed coup d’etat attempt on July 15, 2016, a decree was released authorizing the replacement of officials with alleged terror connections. Under the state of emergency post-coup attempt, several mayors in Turkey’s southeast were deposed and replaced with central government appointees.
These appointments, which came to be known as the ‘trustee system’, gained steam following Turkey’s 2019 local elections, which saw politicians from the now-defunct pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) elected across the southeast.
By 2021, some 48 HDP-controlled cities, districts, and townships had seen their elected officials removed and replaced by trustees.
Prior to the local elections this past March, many had wondered whether the practice of deposing and replacing elected pro-Kurdish officials in the southeastern provinces would repeat itself.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a speech on election night promising to respect the election results, which saw major losses for his Justice and Development Party (AKP). Nevertheless, major protests ensued when the victory of DEM Party mayor-elect Abdullah Zeydan in the southeastern city of Van was invalidated and handed to his AKP rival. In a surprise turnaround, the Supreme Election Council reinstated Zeydan’s victory the following day.
In early June, Mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış of the southeastern city of Hakkari was removed and replaced by a trustee.
Ahmet Türk’s Monday removal marks the third time the Mardin Mayor has been removed from office by central government authorities, following similar episodes in 2016 and 2019.
Turkey has previously received warnings from the European Court of Human Rights regarding the legality of the ‘trustee system’. Turkish authorities have argued that such depositions are necessary due to alleged connections between pro-Kurdish officials and the banned Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).
Written/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick