10.10.2025 17:01
Following the arrest and suspension of Bayrampaşa Mayor Hasan Mutlu, the objection made by the AK Party regarding the vice presidency election, which was won by the CHP candidate İbrahim Kahraman through a lottery, has been accepted. The court has issued a stay of execution. The vice presidency election in Bayrampaşa will be held again.
In a probe launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the Bayrampaşa Municipality for the crimes of "embezzlement," "bribery," "qualified fraud," and "tampering with a tender," Mayor Hasan Mutlu, who was detained, was arrested by the court and sent to prison. Following this development, Mutlu was also suspended from his position by the Ministry of Interior.
THE DEPUTY MAYOR WAS DETERMINED BY LOTTERY
After Mutlu was suspended from his position, a vote was held for the Deputy Mayorship of Bayrampaşa Municipality, where the CHP candidate İbrahim Kahraman competed against the AK Party candidate İbrahim Akın. The election process was quite competitive, and the votes were tied. In the first round of the election, the AK Party candidate received 19 votes, while the CHP candidate received 18 votes. However, since the required two-thirds majority was not achieved in this round, a second round was held. In the second round, the votes remained tied at 18-18, and one vote was deemed invalid. As the tie continued in the third and fourth rounds, the Deputy Mayor was determined by a lottery draw. As a result of the draw, CHP candidate İbrahim Kahraman was elected as the Deputy Mayor of Bayrampaşa Municipality.
THE AK PARTY HAD FILED A LAWSUIT
In the fourth round of the elections, one vote given to AK Party candidate Akın was deemed invalid due to a line on the ballot, and the AK Party Group claimed that one ballot had "Akın" written first and then crossed out to write "Kahraman," arguing that the ballot counted in favor of CHP candidate Kahraman should be considered invalid. After the CHP's Kahraman, who chaired the session, did not accept the objection, the AK Party group took their objections to court.
COURT DECISION TO SUSPEND EXECUTION
The AK Party's objection to the voting was accepted. The Istanbul 8th Administrative Court suspended the execution of the Bayrampaşa Deputy Mayor election. The election will be held again in accordance with the court's decision.
THERE ARE 37 COUNCIL MEMBERS
There are a total of 37 council members in the Bayrampaşa Municipal Council. In the local elections on March 31, 2024, the CHP secured 22 council members in Bayrampaşa, while the AK Party had 12 and the MHP had 3 council members. After the recent resignations, the number of CHP members in the municipal council dropped to 18. Thus, against 18 CHP council members, the number of AK Party, MHP, and independent members increased to 19.
CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION INTO BAYRAMPAŞA MUNICIPALITY
In the investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the Bayrampaşa Municipality for the allegations of "embezzlement," "bribery," "qualified fraud," and "tampering with a tender," 26 people, including Mayor Hasan Mutlu, who was detained, had been arrested. In the investigation, judicial control measures were applied to 19 suspects.