At least ten people have been detained in İstanbul as part of a terrorism investigation targeting district municipalities governed by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). Those detained include deputy mayors of the Kartal and Ataşehir districts as well as municipal council members from Tuzla, Fatih, Adalar, Şişli, and Beyoğlu.
According to the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation focuses on cooperation between the CHP and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party in last year’s local elections. Under the "Urban Consensus" strategy, DEM Party did not field candidates in certain districts, while some DEM members were elected as municipal councilors through CHP lists.
The prosecutor's office has alleged that this cooperation was orchestrated by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to expand its influence in metropolitan areas. A written statement from the office described the partnership as an effort "to increase the organization’s presence in major cities."
Early-morning police raids included searches of the offices of Kartal and Ataşehir deputy mayors.
Part of a broader crackdown
This latest operation is part of a series of investigations targeting municipalities where the CHP and DEM Party have collaborated. In October, Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer, a Kurdish member of the CHP, was arrested on terrorism charges, and a government-appointed trustee replaced him. In January, a similar move saw the Beşiktaş district mayor detained and replaced by a trustee.
Additionally, İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, also a CHP member, is facing separate investigations. He is accused of “targeting anti-terror officials” and “attempting to influence the judiciary.”
İstanbul mayor calls for snap elections
In response to the raids, İmamoğlu released a statement on social media, claiming they are aimed at undermining CHP's electoral success. "They can't accept that our party won by a margin of 1 million votes against our rivals," he said.
"These people, who carried out routine work before the elections, are now suddenly labeled as ‘terrorists.’ Just like our 65-year-old Esenyurt Mayor Prof. Dr. Ahmet Özer, who was declared a ‘terrorist’ after the elections," said the mayor.
Highlighting his party's electoral success, İmamoğlu said, "In the March 31 elections, our party won 26 district municipalities in İstanbul and defeated our opponent in the metropolitan election by a margin of 1 million votes. You will have to come to terms with this success—one way or another. We will not allow you to deceive the public with political operations."
İmamoğlu also attributed Türkiye's ongoing economic struggles to the ruling party and called for snap elections: "We are paying the price for a corrupt system, created by someone who believes they are the master of the people.
"We pay with skyrocketing prices, with financial hardship, and with deepening social and political deterioration. This is why we embarked on this journey—to cleanse the rotten apples of this decaying system. We want early elections to lead Turkey to the democracy and prosperity it deserves."
"That ballot box will come early! Elections happen when the people demand them, not when you decide. The ballot box will come, one person will go, and everything will change!"
CHP’s İstanbul provincial chair Özgür Çelik also condemned the operation on social media, saying, "We warn the government, which has lost its ability to govern and is relying on dawn raids. Stop destroying the rule of law and eroding trust in our judicial system. End this persecution of the people. Bring the ballot box!" (VK)
