AKP Candidate Uysal Elected New İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor

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Following the resignation of İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Kadir Topbaş, an election was made yesterday (September 29). After three voting rounds, Justice and Development (AKP) candidate Mevlüt Uysal was elected the new mayor of İstanbul.

The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipal Council that held the election consists of 309 members with voting rights. 179 of the members are from AKP, 127 members are from Republican People's Party (CHP), and 2 others are from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).One member is independent.

CHP's candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu is the district Mayor of Beylikdüzü and Mevlüt Uysal is the district Mayor of Başakşehir.

Elected after three rounds of voting

The first round in the voting ended at 5 p.m. AKP's candidate Uysal got 179 votes and CHP's İmamoğlu got 126 votes. As the two thirds majority was not reached, the voting continued in the second round.

In the second round, Uysal got 179 votes and İmamoğlu got 128 votes and the two-thirds majority again could not be reached.
In the third round, 308 votes were used. 4 of these were considered invalid. Uysal received 179 and İmamoğlu received 125 votes. The absolute majority was reached and AKP's Mehmet Uysal was elected the İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor.

About Mevlüt Uysal

Mehmet Uysal was born in 1966 in Antalya in southern Turkey. He graduated from İstanbul University Faculty of Law.

After AKP was formed, Uysal became the founding president of the party's Küçükçekmece District Organization. In the local elections on March 29, 2009 he was elected the Mayor of the Başakşehir district and was re-elected in 2014.

As an attorney, Uysal had represented the suspects in the trial of Sivas Massacre, in which 37 people, including 33 artists and writers, 2 hotel personnel and 2 attackers were killed in an arson attack in Sivas Madımak Hotel on July 2, 1993.

About Ekrem İmamoğlu

Ekrem İmamoğlu was born in 1970 in Trabzon. He graduated from İstanbul University English Department of Business. He worked as the manager of Trabzonspor Football Club, Trabzonspor Basketball Club and Beylikdüzüspor Sports Club. In 2009, he was elected CHP Beylikdüzü District President and in the local elections on March 30, 2014 he was elected Mayor of Beylükdüzü. (NV/DG)