CHP leader Özel condemns Üsküdar council vote passing control to AKP

Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan following a municipal council vote in Istanbul's Üsküdar district that transferred local administration to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Speaking at a public rally in Üsküdar and during a television broadcast on Koza TV, Özel described the election process as anti-democratic, directly questioning Erdoğan's democratic credentials after the opposition lost control of the municipal leadership.

Additionally, Özel addressed a recent meeting between Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş and President Erdoğan. He framed the discussion as a routine administrative consultation focused on municipal affairs rather than a political compromise, asserting that CHP local officials would continue fulfilling their public duties despite ongoing political pressure.

Sources: Bianet, Cumhuriyet