Özgür Özel criticises AKP over Üsküdar vote and explains Yavaş-Erdoğan meeting

Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has launched a critique against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) over a controversial local vote in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district. Speaking at a public gathering in Üsküdar and during a television appearance on Koza TV, Özel described the proceedings that yielded control of the deputy mayoralty to the AKP as among the darkest in Turkish electoral history.

Özel questioned Erdoğan’s commitment to democracy, noting that the CHP had legitimately won the district during municipal elections. Additionally, Özel addressed Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş’s recent meeting with Erdoğan, clarifying that the talks focused on resolving administrative obstacles facing the capital's municipality rather than political negotiations.

Sources: Bianet, Cumhuriyet