Trustee Dissolves Van Metropolitan Municipal Council with an SMS

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Appointed as a trustee to the Metropolitan Municipality of Van after Mayor Bedia Özgökçe Ertan has been removed from office, Governor of Van Mehmet Emin Bilmez has dissolved the municipal council and informed the members about the decision with an SMS.

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Trustee Bilmez has also stated that the duties and authorities of the dissolved municipal council will be undertake by the municipal committee.

He sent an SMS to municipal council members

The municipal council members have been informed about the dissolution of the council with an SMS. Indicating that Governor of Van Mehmet Emin Bilmez has been appointed as an Acting Metropolitan Mayor, the message has stated that the municipal council has been dissolved as per the 2nd Additional Paragraph of the Article 45 of the Law no. 5393 on Municipalities.

In his message, trustee Bilmez has also informed the members that the municipal council meetings to be be held between August 19 and 23 and to be attended by the council members will not take place.

'They committed the same unlawfulness before'

Speaking to bianet, municipal council member Cemil Komi has described the decision as unlawful and stated the following in brief:

"On the day when a trustee was appointed, they prevented us from entering the municipality. On this day, he chose the permanent municipal committee. He chose these people among the municipality bureaucrats. We cannot understand how he made this selection in such a short time.

"Now, he has transferred our authorities to them. We regard it as an unlawfulness and do not accept it. Among the municipal council members were also people from the Justice and Development Party (AKP). That being the case, he has dissolved them as well.

"Something similar happened before. They committed the same unlawfulness. We were administered like that for two years. We experienced this unlawfulness before."

'They do not even recognize their own laws'

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Group Deputy Chair of the municipal council İsmet Tan has also denounced the decision and stated that he has not received such a message. Tok has said,

"Normally and legally, the municipal council can convene and decide to dissolve itself. (...) However, they do not even recognize their own laws. The appointed trustee can dissolve the council. It is an utterly unlawful action. The primary objective is to make the Municipality dysfunctional.

"The trustee appointed to people's will can act as he wishes and dissolve the council. I do not accept this unlawfulness. To top it all, this message is sent from a mobile phone, which means that it can only be an informative message. It should not have a legal return. It is also legally like that."

27 members were from the AKP

The Council of Van Metropolitan Municipality had 71 members. While 44 of these members were from the HDP, the ruling AKP had 27 members.

When a trustee was appointed in 2016 after the declaration of the State of Emergency, the municipal council was dissolved again and the municipal affairs were undertaken by the municipal committee members. (EMK/SD)