Üsküdar Deputy Mayor Vote Postponed to Sept 8 After Opposition Boycott

The Üsküdar Municipal Council's repeat election for deputy mayor was postponed to 8 September at 09:00 after the CHP and Yeni Parti groups refused to attend, denying the session a quorum. First Deputy Ali Aral announced the delay, citing insufficient attendance.

CHP spokesperson Müslüm Sarı said the boycott aimed to safeguard the voting rights of three CHP council members detained before the vote. The council's live feed showed CHP seats empty. Outside the building, supporters of both parties chanted "Trustees will leave, we will stay" and booed Sarı when he arrived.

“We decided not to attend today's Üsküdar Deputy Mayor election to ensure our detained Municipal Council colleagues can exercise their voting rights.”

Four CHP council members — Ahmet Başbaydar, Ayhan Aydın, Hüseyin Kazan and Tahsin Usta — defected to the AKP on 3 September, according to AKP Üsküdar chair Taha Sarıcaoğlu. Three other CHP members — Amine Cansu Çelik, Mithat Özdemir and Ekrem Baki — were detained; Özdemir was released on 4 September.

The 46-seat council now stands at 23 CHP, 18 AKP and 3 MHP members, excluding the detained mayor Sinem Dedetaş and the presiding deputy. If all remaining members vote, CHP and the AKP-MHP alliance would each hold 21 seats.

The original 5 August election was won by CHP candidate Sibel Tan Çetinkaya, but the AKP objected, triggering the re-run. Yeni Parti Istanbul chair Özgür Çelik claimed the four defectors were moved outside Istanbul under police guard to cut family contact, a claim not confirmed by other outlets.