Özgür Özel criticizes AKP over Üsküdar vote and clarifies Yavaş-Erdoğan meeting

Özgür Özel, leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), sharply criticized the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) after it gained control of the deputy mayoralty in Istanbul's Üsküdar district following local council voting. Addressing supporters at a public rally in Üsküdar, Özel described the process as a dark stain on Turkish electoral history and questioned President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's democratic principles.

In a separate television interview on Koza TV, Özel commented on a recent meeting between Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş and President Erdoğan. Özel characterized the discussion as routine municipal consultation aimed at resolving local administrative hurdles rather than political concession, emphasizing that opposition-led municipalities will continue serving citizens despite central government pressures.

Sources: Bianet, Cumhuriyet