15.10.2026 16:53
Üsküdar Deputy Mayor Dündar Ziya Gültekin died in a traffic accident he had while traveling to Ankara to take part in the election at the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye. Gültekin, who was conducting field inspections in Üsküdar last night during the heavy downpour that affected Istanbul, said in his last message shared hours before the accident, "May God protect our country and nation from all kinds of disasters."
AK Party’s Üsküdar Deputy Mayor Dündar Ziya Gültekin died as a result of a traffic accident he had in Düzce. Gültekin’s death was announced by AK Party Düzce Provincial Chairman Hasan Şengüloğlu.
HE WAS IN THE FIELD ALL NIGHT
During the hours when Istanbul was shaken by heavy downpour last night, Gültekin carried out inspections in Üsküdar. Gültekin shared photos of his inspections in the district during the rainfall on his X account.
The downpour also negatively affected life in Üsküdar. In the district’s Çengelköy and Kuleli areas, the roads almost turned into streams. Üsküdar Municipality municipal police teams carried out work to open clogged manhole covers on the coastal road and drain accumulated water.
HIS LAST POST WAS HEARTBREAKING
About 5 hours before the accident, Gültekin made his last post on his X account. Stating that in the early hours of the morning he inspected the points affected by the rainfall together with local tradespeople, Gültekin used the following statements in his post:
“My valued fellow citizens; As throughout the night, in the early hours of the morning too, we are in the streets of our Üsküdar together with our neighbors. We have largely brought the effects of the heavy rainfall under control, praise be to God. However, we continue our work without letting go of precautions. Together with our tradespeople, we inspect the points affected by the rainfall on site and listen to their needs directly from them. Our aim is to ensure that daily life returns to normal as soon as possible. I sincerely thank all my colleagues who served throughout the night. May God protect our country and nation from all kinds of disasters. Get well soon to all of us.”
HE WAS HEADING TO THE ELECTION IN ANKARA
Having followed the work in the field throughout the night and in the morning hours, Gültekin then set off towards Ankara to participate in the election for deputy chairmanship of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey.
PILEUP IN KAYNAŞLI
The accident occurred on the Düzce section of the Anatolian Highway, at the Sarıçökek location in Kaynaşlı district. A car with license plate 34 VR 2034 traveling towards Ankara collided with a car with license plate 16 ARZ 453 going in the same direction. According to İHA’s report, 3 vehicles were involved in the accident. Five people, including Gültekin, were injured in the accident.
THE DOCTOR’S CPR WAS NOT ENOUGH
It was determined that the heart of the severely injured Gültekin had stopped. A doctor passing by the scene performed CPR on Gültekin, and Gültekin’s heart began beating again. Upon notice, medical and police teams were dispatched to the area. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals by ambulances.
Gültekin, who was taken to Düzce Çağsu Hospital, could not be saved despite all interventions. Due to the accident, traffic on the highway was controlled from a single lane for a while; after the vehicles were removed, the road was reopened to traffic. Police launched an investigation into the accident.
HE WAS ELECTED DEPUTY MAYOR ON SEPTEMBER 8
Gültekin was elected deputy mayor after Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş was arrested on July 31 as part of an investigation into “forming an organization for the purpose of committing a crime,” “bribery,” and “corruption,” and was suspended from duty by the Ministry of Interior on August 1.
In the municipal council election held on August 5, CHP member Sibel Tan Çetinkaya was elected deputy mayor. However, on August 24, the Istanbul 2nd Administrative Court suspended the execution of the council decision regarding this election. The Istanbul Regional Administrative Court also rejected the objection of the Istanbul Governor’s Office. When a majority could not be achieved in the session on September 5, the election was postponed to September 8.
Gültekin, the candidate of the People’s Alliance, was elected deputy mayor in the election on September 8 against Çetinkaya, the joint candidate of the CHP and the New Party, by receiving 23 of 42 votes in the 4th round. On the day he took office, Gültekin said, “We see the municipality not from here, but from the street,” and said that serving Üsküdar was a “debt of loyalty” for him.
WHO IS DÜNDAR ZİYA GÜLTEKİN?
Born in Üsküdar in 1983, Gültekin studied at Istanbul University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and graduated from Anadolu University Department of Public Administration. He began politics in 2002 at the AK Party Üsküdar District Youth Branch. Between 2008 and 2012, he served as Head of the Üsküdar District Youth Branch, and between 2012 and 2019 as District Deputy Chairman.
In the 2018 general elections and 2019 local elections, he served as the election coordination center chairman of the AK Party, and in the 2023 and 2024 elections as deputy chairman. Elected as a Üsküdar Municipal Council Member in the March 31, 2019 local elections, Gültekin served as deputy chairman of the AK Party council group between 2019 and 2025. Gültekin, who also served as Secretary General of the July 15 Association between 2016 and 2024, was married and a father of 3 children.