Dündar Ziya Gültekin, the acting mayor of İstanbul's Üsküdar district, died today in a traffic accident in the northwestern province of Düzce, weeks after taking office following a municipal council election.
Gültekin was traveling in a car on the Ankara-bound section of the Anatolian Motorway in the Kaynaşlı district when it collided with another vehicle traveling in the same direction.
Five people, including Gültekin, were injured in the three-vehicle pileup. Having sustained serious injuries, Gültekin died at the hospital.
Hasan Şengüloğlu, the provincial head of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Düzce, announced Gültekin's death in a statement to reporters.
"Everything medically necessary was done from the moment of the accident until now. But unfortunately, we could not save him," he said.
Elected after opposition mayor's arrest
Gültekin took office on Sep 8 following a disputed election that transferred control of Üsküdar Municipality from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) to the AKP.
The district's elected mayor, Sinem Dedetaş, was arrested on Jul 31, 2026, as part of a series of corruption investigations targeting opposition-run municipalities across Turkey. The Interior Ministry subsequently suspended her from office.
The Üsküdar Municipal Council initially elected the CHP's candidate, Sibel Tan Çetinkaya, as acting mayor on Aug 5. Çetinkaya received 22 votes, while Gültekin, the AKP candidate, secured 18.
However, following an objection by the AKP, an administrative court in İstanbul suspended the election and ordered a new vote.
AKP takes control of İstanbul’s Üsküdar district, opposition claims threat from prosecutors
By the time the council reconvened, the balance of power had shifted in favor of the AKP after some council members were detained and others switched their political allegiance.
In the fourth round of voting on Sep 8, Gültekin received 23 votes against Çetinkaya's 19, securing the acting mayor's office for the AKP.
The result gave the ruling party control of a municipality the CHP had won in the 2024 local elections.
Following the vote, the opposition alleged that a prosecutor had threatened a council member who defected to the AKP with arrest and that four defectors had been kept under police supervision. (VK)
