On January 10, Friday, in Mersin's Akdeniz district, DEM Party Co-Mayors Nuriye Arslan and Hoşyar Sarıyıldız, who won the municipality with 37% of the vote in the March 31, 2024 local elections, were detained, and a trustee was appointed in their place. Once again, trustee practices became a central issue in Turkey's democratic political environment. The detentions occurred as part of an investigation involving allegations of "spreading terrorist propaganda" and "violating anti-terror financing regulations." Previously, trustees had been appointed to the Hakkari Municipality and CHP-led Esenyurt Municipality, followed by similar actions in Mardin Metropolitan, Batman, and Halfeti municipalities, bringing the total number of removed mayors to five. With Akdeniz Municipality added, this number has now risen to six.In a statement, DEM Party described the detentions as a political operation, emphasizing that this intervention in the will of the people is a continuation of the "trustee mentality." Similarly, CHP and other opposition parties condemned the incident as an act of "tyranny" and labeled it a blow to democracy.But how can the continuation of trustee appointments and detentions be explained during a period when negotiations between the DEM Party and the ruling bloc over Abdullah Öcalan's release and PKK disarmament are ongoing? Isn't this a contradiction? Developments so far suggest two possibilities. On the one hand, the government seems intent on continuing the negotiations initiated by Devlet Bahçeli while simultaneously increasing pressure on the DEM Party to strengthen its bargaining position. On the other hand, it's possible that Erdoğan and the AKP, who have never fully embraced or publicly debated this process, are making these moves despite ongoing negotiations. Indeed, when examining the positive tone of Bahçeli's speech following the appointment of a trustee to replace Ahmet Türk—a figure Bahçeli has previously expressed respect for—it becomes evident that not everything in this process is being carried out under a unified plan or in a consistent manner.Regardless of how these developments fit into the broader negotiations, one fact remains clear: trustee practices that narrow the space for democratic politics further normalize interventions in the people's will, leading to greater erosion of democratic values in Turkey.

The Freedom Observer

Regardless of how these developments fit into the broader negotiations, one fact remains clear: trustee practices that narrow the space for democratic politics further normalize interventions in the people's will, leading to greater erosion of democratic values in Turkey.

Hakkari Municipality ile ilgili hikayeler