CHP mayors excluded from Turkish municipality union’s management

In a first partisan move after the elections, only AKP and MHP mayors have been included in the new management of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (TBB). The main opposition CHP has reacted against the exclusion of CHP mayors from the 14-member board and said, “This situation is the first reflection of a full authoritarian understanding. This is a massacre of democracy and justice.”

Wednesday May 31 2023 07:26 pm

CHP lawmaker Seyit Torun is seen addressing a meeting in this file photo.

Duvar English

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) vice chair Seyit Torun has announced that CHP mayors were not accepted into the management of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (TBB).

Tosun slammed the move in a written statement on May 31 and said: “How the rulership wants to run the country after the elections has come out with the TBB elections. This situation is the first reflection of a full authoritarian understanding. This is a massacre of democracy and justice."

More than half of the TBB’s budget is provided by CHP municipalities but the funds are being channelled to the ruling People’s Alliance municipalities, Tosun said. “The rights of our municipalities that are serving more than half of the country's population have been seized.”

“Today, a new management at the TBB has been determined. Previously, the distribution of 14 members (executives of the TBB) were undertaken according to parties’ mayorship, and our party had 4 committee members. But the new 14 names have been formed from (the ruling Justice and Development Party) AKP and (Nationalist Movement Party) MHP mayors. No membership has been given to our party who previously had 4 members,” he said.

“No one should expect us to be silent, because we will not stay silent. We will not have the rights of a single municipality of ours be robbed to this partisanship.”