Turkey’s Interior Ministry has authorized a second investigation into Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) over allegations linked to municipal zoning decisions, amid a broader crackdown on the party since October 2024, Turkish media reported.
The authorization allows prosecutors to pursue claims that the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality failed to implement court rulings related to zoning plans in parts of the capital. The Interior Ministry said the allegations concern possible violations of laws requiring municipalities to enforce judicial decisions.
The probe covers Yavaş and 38 city council members who are accused of voting against the implementation of court rulings during council meetings held in March 2020 and January 2021.
The Ankara Metropolitan Municipality denied the accusations, saying the decisions in question were aimed at blocking allegedly unlawful zoning increases approved under former mayor Melih Gökçek from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Officials said all legal objections had been filed and that a detailed explanation would be made public after an appeal of the authorization.
Yavaş and the council members have the right to appeal the Interior Ministry’s authorization. Such approvals are required under Turkish law before prosecutors can investigate elected local officials. If their appeals are rejected by the Council of State, Turkey’s highest administrative court, prosecutors could open a criminal case.
The decision follows an earlier Interior Ministry authorization in November for prosecutors to investigate Yavaş and his chief of staff, Nevzat Uzunoğlu, over alleged misconduct tied to Ankara Metropolitan Municipality concert spending and oversight, allegations the municipality has disputed.
Opposition figures condemned the move as politically motivated. Burhanettin Bulut, a senior lawmaker from the CHP, said on social media that authorizing a second investigation into Yavaş amounted to political pressure rather than a legal process, praising the mayor’s record on transparency and public spending.
The case comes amid an escalating campaign targeting opposition-run municipalities across Turkey. Since October 2024, 16 mayors from the CHP have been jailed and trustees have been appointed to run 13 municipalities, including İstanbul’s Esenyurt and Şişli districts, according to opposition figures.
The crackdown has drawn increased attention following the detention and subsequent arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the party’s most prominent figure. İmamoğlu was detained on March 19, sparking nationwide protests, and was later arrested by a court in a corruption investigation before being suspended from office by the Interior Ministry.
Last month prosecutors filed a nearly 4,000-page indictment accusing İmamoğlu of leading a criminal organization and committing 142 offenses, charges that could carry a combined sentence of up to 2,430 years in prison. The allegations include bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, extortion and bid rigging. İmamoğlu has strongly denied all accusations.
Critics say the cases are aimed at weakening President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political challenger ahead of the next presidential election, scheduled for 2028.
