CHP’s İlhami Yılmaz elected Ataşehir district deputy mayor 

ISTANBUL

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) member İlhami Yılmaz was elected the new Ataşehir deputy mayor on Dec. 16 after Istanbul’s Ataşehir district council convened to replace the previous, recently suspended mayor.

Neither CHP’s İlhami Yılmaz nor ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Mustafa Cevat Arzık could win a majority of votes in the first two rounds of the elections. A third round was needed to reveal a clear winner. 

The council consists of 37 members: 22 CHP members and AKP 15 members.

Battal İlgezdi, the mayor of Istanbul’s Ataşehir district, was suspended by the Interior Ministry on Dec. 8 over corruption allegations, prompting fury within the CHP.

“They are apparently trying to intimidate us. But there is no way you can scare us,” Kılıçdaroğlu said in front of the Ataşehir Municipality building on Dec. 9, adding that İlgezdi was acquitted of corruption charges before.

“We have no further account to give. Our mayor previously applied to the prosecutor’s office asking for an investigation to be carried out following media reports and my own request. He was acquitted in the subsequent investigations. What is happening now is an attempted character assassination. They want to intimidate us, but we won’t give up,” he also said.