12.06.2026 22:10
The name of the person who will replace Buca Mayor Görkem Duman, who was arrested and suspended from duty as part of a bribery and corruption investigation, has been announced. After a breathtaking three-round vote held at an extraordinary assembly session, CHP council member Hüseyin Benzer was elected as the Acting Mayor of Buca. Taking the podium after the election, Benzer stated, 'Until Görkem Duman is cleared of the accusations and returns to his duty, I will take the best possible care of his legacy.'
The name of the person replacing Buca Mayor Görkem Duman, who was arrested and suspended from duty as part of a corruption and bribery investigation, has been determined. In the extraordinary vote held at the Buca Municipal Council, CHP Council Member Hüseyin Benzer was elected as the Acting Mayor of Buca at the end of the third round.
THREE BREATHTAKING ROUNDS IN THE COUNCIL
The Buca Municipal Council convened with an extraordinary agenda to elect a replacement for the arrested mayor. In the critical election, monitored by high-level representatives of political parties in the hall, the CHP group nominated Hüseyin Benzer, while the People's Alliance nominated AK Party member Veli Balyemez.
Excitement was at its peak in the election, where a total of 43 members cast votes:
1st Round: Hüseyin Benzer received 17 votes, Veli Balyemez 12 votes. 14 votes were deemed invalid. The two-thirds majority of the total number of members could not be achieved.
2nd Round: Benzer increased his votes to 25, while Balyemez remained at 18 votes. The majority was again not achieved.
3rd Round: In the third round, where a simple majority was sought, CHP member Hüseyin Benzer, who again received 25 votes, was declared the new acting mayor of Buca Municipality.
"I WILL PROTECT THE TRUST"
After the election, Hüseyin Benzer took the podium and thanked the council members who supported him. Emphasizing that the process is temporary, Benzer said, "Until Görkem Duman is acquitted of the charges and returns to his duty, I will protect his trust in the best possible way."
WHAT IS THE "SOAP" OPERATION?
In the massive corruption investigation conducted against Buca Municipality and its affiliated companies, 42 of the 54 suspects, including Mayor Görkem Duman, were arrested and sent to prison. The Ministry of Interior announced on June 8 that Görkem Duman had been suspended following the arrest decision.
The allegations in the investigation file were jaw-dropping. Besides accusations such as illegal zoning procedures, floor increases in exchange for bribes, use of municipal credit cards for personal expenses, and "ATM clerkship," it was revealed that some contractors called the bribery traffic among themselves "soap" to hide irregularities in projects.