Marc Cools, president of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, has expressed grave concern over Turkey’s dismissal of the elected mayors of Mardin, Batman, Halfeti and Esenyurt and replacement with appointed trustees.
Cools criticized the practice of installing trustees appointed by the Turkish Ministry of Interior, citing it as a threat to local democracy in Turkey. The congress, as well as the Venice Commission, has repeatedly condemned this practice, particularly since the dismissed mayors were elected by Turkish voters in the March 31, 2024 local elections, which was observed by members of the congress.
A recommendation issued by the congress last month urged Turkey to end the replacement practice and ensure that candidate eligibility is assessed before an election, based on final criminal convictions. In the event of a mayoral dismissal, the congress recommended allowing municipal councils to select a replacement.
The statement came after Turkey removed three mayors in the Kurdish-majority southeast on alleged terrorism charges, despite Ankara’s recent efforts to seek a rapprochement with the Kurdish community
In a sweep, the mayors of the southeastern cities of Mardin and Batman as well as Halfeti — a district in Şanlıurfa province — were removed from their positions and replaced with trustees.
All three are members of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), the main pro-Kurdish party, and were elected in the March local elections, when opposition candidates won in numerous towns and cities, including İstanbul.
Ahmet Türk won the vote in Mardin, while Gülistan Sönük was elected mayor of Batman, and Mehmet Karayılan represented Halfeti.
The ministry outlined a series of allegations against them in a statement, from membership in an armed group to disseminating propaganda for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Since 1984, the PKK has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that has killed thousand and is listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.
