In Turkey, the will of the people has once again been disregarded. The Erdoğan government has appointed another trustee to a municipality, continuing a controversial practice that has drawn widespread criticism.
Over the past 11 months, trustees have been appointed to 12 municipalities. Most recently, Mehmet Alkan, the elected mayor of Kağızman from the DEM Party, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison on terrorism-related charges. Citing this sentence as justification, the government removed him from office and replaced him with a trustee.
All 12 mayors who have been removed faced similar terrorism accusations. However, many believe these charges are baseless and politically motivated. Despite this, elected officials continue to be dismissed and replaced by government-appointed trustees.
Critics argue that Erdoğan is using trustee appointments as a way to seize control of municipalities his party failed to win at the ballot box. This strategy, they say, undermines democracy and the right of citizens to choose their own local leaders.
As Turkey approaches another election cycle, concerns over democratic backsliding and political interference in local governance remain at the forefront of public debate.
