AKP's Serdar Orhan Wins Deputy Mayor Seat at Ataşehir Municipality

Serdar Orhan, backed by the AKP, won the deputy mayor election held yesterday at Ataşehir Municipality Council, handing this critical seat in the CHP-governed district to the People's Alliance. The election spanned four rounds; in the final round, Orhan received 18 votes, with two ballots cast blank.

Abdullah Özdemir, AKP Istanbul Provincial Chair, announced that Orhan was nominated as a joint candidate by the AKP and MHP council groups. Seventeen CHP council members did not attend the session, three of whom held restricted status. In addition to the People's Alliance's 18 members, two independent members were also present in the chamber, meeting the quorum requirement.

At the opening of the session, letters were read from two council members — Cemil Yardımcı and Ebubekir Bozkızıl — announcing their resignation from their parties to act as independents. Under Municipal Law No. 5393, the required absolute majority could not be achieved in the first three rounds; in the fourth round, Orhan was elected by simple majority.

Ataşehir is one of the Istanbul districts the CHP held in the March 2024 elections. The deputy mayor position is the most direct oversight seat over the municipality's executive body, and the change of hands will directly affect the balance of agenda-setting and committee assignments available to the CHP Mayor in the council. During the voting process, YENİ Party members staged a protest demonstration in front of the District Electoral Commission.