Yüreğir deputy mayor election: CHP won twice, but court ruling handed municipality to AKP

Yüreğir Municipality changed hands through a court ruling after CHP candidate Cafer Boyraz won the deputy mayor election twice in the municipal council.

The process began after Yüreğir Mayor Ali Demirçalı was suspended by the Interior Ministry on April 21 because of a sentence in a case against him. The municipal council then convened to choose an acting deputy mayor.

In the first vote, Boyraz, the CHP candidate, received 21 votes, while AKP candidate Tarık Özünal received 15. Özünal objected, arguing that the election violated the law, and applied to the courts.

The Adana 2nd Administrative Court ordered the suspension of the execution of the deputy mayor election. In line with the ruling, the vote was repeated from the third round. Özünal won that round with 19 votes to Boyraz’s 18. In the fourth round, however, Boyraz again prevailed, receiving 19 votes against Özünal’s 17.

Boyraz was therefore elected deputy mayor for a second time. The AKP challenged the renewed result as well. After reviewing the objection, the same court ruled that the position should pass to Özünal. The AKP candidate subsequently assumed the deputy mayor role at Yüreğir Municipality.