Election Day in Üsküdar: Council to Choose a New Acting Mayor
Üsküdar’s municipal council is due to elect a new acting mayor after the previous officeholder, Dündar Ziya Gültekin, died in a traffic accident. The vote is expected to begin at around 10:00 a.m. at the municipal building, where police have put extensive security measures in place.
The acting-mayor position became vacant following Gültekin’s death on October 15. He had been elected to the role in September, after a court ordered a repeat of an earlier vote.
The sequence began after Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş was detained as part of a corruption investigation and removed from her duties. In the first acting-mayor election, held on August 5, Sibel Tan Çetinkaya was chosen. The result was later challenged by the AK Party, and a court ruled that the vote should be held again.
At the renewed election on September 8, AK Party nominee Dündar Ziya Gültekin received 23 of the 42 votes cast and became acting mayor. His death less than six weeks later has left the position vacant once more, requiring the municipal council to hold another election.
Cumhur Alliance names its candidate
The AK Party and MHP will stand behind a joint nominee, Muhammed Emin Sarıoğlu. Abdullah Özdemir, head of the AK Party’s Istanbul provincial organization, announced that Sarıoğlu would represent the Cumhur Alliance in the council vote.
The Yeni Party has decided not to take part. Although the parties were initially expected to field separate candidates alongside the Cumhur Alliance’s joint nominee, Yeni Party’s withdrawal means it will not contest the election. CHP is also expected to put forward its own candidate.
The outcome will determine who leads Üsküdar’s municipal administration in an acting capacity. The vote follows two previous rounds that produced contested results, making the council’s decision especially significant for the borough’s political balance and local government.
Why the election matters
An acting mayor is responsible for maintaining the municipality’s day-to-day work while the position is vacant. That includes overseeing municipal services and ensuring that departments continue operating. The vote therefore concerns more than party representation: it will establish who is authorized to direct the administration during a period of political uncertainty.
The repeated election also reflects the consequences of the earlier legal challenge. After the August result was disputed, the court’s decision required council members to vote again. Gültekin’s subsequent death created a new vacancy, so the council must now choose another acting officeholder.
Security arrangements around the municipal building are in place ahead of the proceedings. The vote is expected to draw heightened attention because it follows both a court-ordered repeat election and the sudden death of the person selected in that rerun.
The report also noted that Istanbul Governor Davut Gül had made comments to Habertürk about flooding affecting the city. No further details of those remarks were provided in the available account.