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İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has said that replacing elected mayors with trustees make people "lose their faith in the will of the nation."
The Ministry of Interior yesterday (August 19) dismissed the mayors of the mostly Kurdish populated cities of Van, Mardin and Diyarbakır and appointed the governors as acting mayors.
The three mayors, all of which are members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), were discharged on the ground of the continuing terrorism-related investigations against them.
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After the Interior Ministry's move, pro-government accounts started a campaign on Twitter under the hashtag "May İstanbul be the next" (#Darısıİstanbul).
Gürsel Tekin, an MP from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) said in a TV program, "We heard that there is a preparation for İstanbul and Ankara."
The CHP won this year's mayoral elections in both İstanbul and the capital Ankara.
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When a reporter asked İmamoğlu "if the eyes are on İstanbul now," he replied, "No one has unlimited authority. There are people who act as if they have, but they lose a lot to the country, but they have already lost it, they are already losing it.
"The will of the nation is very important. Ignoring the will of the nation is a grave mistake. I made my statement about that yesterday."
İmamoğlu said that if the mayors are involved in terrorism-related activities, the issue should be handled by the means of the judiciary, not by appointing trustees.
"People lose confidence in the will of the nation and then you will have created a different environment. It is very sad. I strongly condemn it, I oppose it. You judge people if they have a crime.
"I hope they correct this mistake. I hope the elected mayors return to their posts. Everyone will know their place. We're at work, we're right where we are." (TP/VK)
