Revealed: AKP spent 4 million dollars for district municipal hall

The ruling AKP spent 4 million dollars for a municipal hall of the Yunusemre district in Manisa, western Turkey, daily Sözcü has revealed.

The building, completed and delivered in 2023, was contracted in 2021 for 34.9 million liras, equivalent to 4 million dollars at the time, according to the records from the Electronic Public Procurement Platform (EKAP). The mayor's office was adorned with gold-leaf furniture and decorations.

AKP’s Mehmet Çerçi served as the mayor of the Yunusemre district for two terms, or 10 years, before losing to the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate in the March 31 local elections.

Additionally, a shopping mall named Yunusemre Nation’s Bazaar also incurred a cost of approximately 4 million dollars at the 2018 exchange rate. The municipality, which is reportedly mired in debt, made some notable expenditures during the AKP era. In 2023, the Yuntdağ Oil Wrestling Festival alone cost 1.36 million liras, the Youth Culture Center and Square Arrangement in 2022 amounted to 57.7 million liras, and a hand-carved wooden door purchased for the Wooden Islamic Artifacts Museum in 2023 cost 1.39 million liras. 

In the local elections, the AKP lost many municipalities to the CHP and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, while the CHP doubled its presence, taking control of most major cities and maintaining cities including İstanbul and Ankara. The newly elected CHP mayors across the country have uncovered the extent of luxury in municipal buildings that were built during the years of AKP dominance. (AD/VK)