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Mayors of Küçükçekmece, Bakırköy, Çatalca and Deputy Mayor of Büyükçekmece resign from CHP and join YENİ Party
Municipal administrators from four Istanbul districts announced their departure at a press conference held in front of Bakırköy Municipal Building.
Küçükçekmece Mayor Kemal Çebi, Bakırköy Mayor Ayşegül Ovalıoğlu, Çatalca Mayor Erhan Güzel, and Büyükçekmece Deputy Mayor Hakan Çebi announced today that they have resigned from the Republican People's Party (CHP) and joined YENİ Party through a joint statement made in front of Bakırköy Municipal Building. According to Hürriyet.
Kemal Çebi said the departure stems from differences in management approach, not ideology. Çebi emphasized their continued commitment to the fundamental values of the republic, democracy, justice, and the will of the people, stating that "we have decided to continue our political journey under the leadership of Özgür Özel under the YENİ Party umbrella with this understanding."
Bakırköy Mayor Ovalıoğlu claimed the process directly targeted Bakırköy: "We are going through days when perception has overtaken reality. The confidentiality decision in the files must be lifted." Ovalıoğlu emphasized they are neither judges nor prosecutors and called for decision-makers to intervene in the situation.
The transition of three mayors and one deputy mayor to YENİ Party signals a concrete rupture in Istanbul's CHP-led local government structure.