Protest in Tuzla over mayor's defection to AKP, allegations of corruption

A protest in Tuzla, Turkey, voiced strong opposition to the recent defection of the CHP-elected mayor, Ali Eren Bingöl, to the ruling AKP party. Under the banner "Respect for the People's Will," participants, including Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik and MPs Ali Gökçek and Cemal Enginyurt, condemned what they described as unprecedented attacks on the public's will.

Özgür Çelik asserted that the government is attempting to rule through pressure rather than effective governance, highlighting the resistance from figures like Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and other local officials. He recounted instances where local officials were allegedly threatened with arrest or the safety of their children if they did not join the AKP. Çelik criticized those who yielded to such pressure, stating they would not sleep soundly, while those who refused, like the Tuzla district chairman who opted for imprisonment, stood firm.

The protest focused on allegations of significant corruption in Tuzla, specifically a 40 billion lira zoning scam involving illegal construction on public land. Çelik stated that the CHP leadership, including Chairman Özgür Özel, had attempted to resolve the issue through official channels by meeting with the Minister of Environment and Urbanization. However, the minister reportedly refused to take responsibility for the corruption, suggesting the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) should handle it.

Çelik vehemently rejected this, questioning why the İBB should legitimize a 40 billion lira corruption scheme. He accused the Tuzla mayor of attempting to discredit the İBB by claiming it was not solving the problem, while the İBB, he insisted, addresses all citizen issues but does not support corruption. Çelik also challenged the Tuzla mayor's question about why the İBB hadn't detected these issues between 2019 and 2024, pointing out that the mayor himself was a district chairman during that period and failed to bring the matter to the İBB's attention.