Zeydan Karalar, the mayor of Turkey’s southern city of Adana who was arrested last month as part of a yearlong crackdown on main opposition-run municipalities, has asked a court to annul the interior ministry’s decision to suspend him from office, his lawyer said on Friday, Turkish Minute reported.
Attorney Hüseyin Ersöz said they filed for a stay and annulment at the Adana Administrative Court. The petition argues that the suspension violates basic principles of administrative law and that the alleged offense is not tied to Karalar’s current post. It says the accusations concern his 2014 to 2019 term as mayor of the Seyhan district.
The ministry removed Karalar, who is a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), on a temporary basis after his arrest, citing the legal framework that allows suspensions of elected local officials pending investigations. The authority stems from Article 127 of the constitution and Article 47 of the Municipal Law.
The court filing claims that the interior ministry misused its discretionary power and that the act is flawed on the grounds of cause and subject. It also alleges violations of rights including free elections, expression and respect for private life.
A yearlong crackdown on the CHP has brought successive police operations and administrative suspensions in CHP-run municipalities since late 2024, culminating in the March 23 arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his later suspension from office.
Authorities frame the actions as anti-corruption probes focused on procurement and bribery.
The CHP says the steps aim to sideline elected officials after its wins in the March 2024 local elections.
