Purge of Turkish mayors could hit opposition strongholds
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says legal action could be taken against more mayors if their political parties do not "solve problems themselves."
The resignation of Ankara’s eccentric mayor capped weeks of speculation and more city leaders are thought to be on their way out, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now suggesting the purge could spread to municipalities controlled by the main opposition party.
Ankara’s Melih Gokcek is one of six mayors from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) forced out by Erdogan since September as the president seeks to combat what he calls “fatigue” within the party. Previously, the government forcibly removed almost all of the 102 mayors belonging to the pro-Kurdish opposition, appointing unelected administrators in their stead.
The ousters mean opposition mayors are mostly from Turkey’s second-biggest party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
“Other political parties’ mayors are not my responsibility, and they may not see a problem with mayors from their party. But that doesn’t mean that these problematic municipalities won’t face a legal or judicial intervention,” Erdogan told reporters on his plane returning from a trip to Azerbaijan this week.
