An İstanbul court ruled for the arrest of 10 senior municipal officials from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Thursday following their detention on terrorism charges earlier this week, in the latest episode of an ongoing crackdown on the party, Turkish Minute reported.
The detainees are from nine district municipalities in İstanbul, eight of which are run by the CHP. Among them are the deputy mayors of the Kartal and Ataşehir districts as well as eight city council members. They are all affiliated with the CHP.
The politicians were referred to court for arrest after testifying to prosecutors at the İstanbul Courthouse on Thursday.
The municipal officials are accused of recruiting members or sympathizers of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) under the guise of an election strategy adopted by Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party.
This strategy, referred to as the “urban consensus model,” refers to the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party’s (DEM Party) approach to candidate selection in Turkey’s western cities in preparation for the March 31, 2024 local elections.
The party aimed to engage a wide range of community stakeholders, not just its members, by forming alliances with other political parties as part of this strategy. The DEM Party supported mayoral candidates whose nominations were decided in consensus with other parties. In some areas certain CHP candidates were elected with the backing of the DEM Party.
According to the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is leading the investigation, the goal of the urban consensus model was to ensure that Kurds have a voice in city council decisions, to encourage their participation in local government and to create a political balance in western provinces and districts. This was in exchange for support for a candidate, even if they were unlikely to win the municipality.
Thursday’s arrests follow a wave of investigations and arrests targeting CHP municipalities in İstanbul, as a result of which two party mayors from the Esenyurt and Beşiktaş districts were removed from office and arrested.
The CHP and government critics say the latest judicial actions targeting party members in İstanbul aim to discredit their party and İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, seen as a potential future challenger to President c, along with other opposition figures in the city.
