Mardin Municipality’s immovable properties transferred to ministries before Turkey’s elections, DEM chair says

Pro-Kurdish DEM Party co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları said that municipality properties in southeastern Mardin province were transferred to ministries before Turkey’s local elections. Even though DEM’s predecessor HDP won Mardin Municipality in the 2019 elections, the government appointed a trustee to the province months later.

Sunday March 10 2024 10:00 am

DEM co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları (C) poses with the party's mayoral co-candidates Devrim Demir (L) and Ahmet Türk (R).

Duvar English

Immovable properties belonging to municipalities in southeastern Mardin province were transferred to ministries in the run up to the Turkey’s local elections, Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları on March 9 said in a rally held in Midyat district of Mardin.

Hatimoğlları stated that the Malmet Women's Centre was transferred to the Family and Social Policies Ministry and the Art Academy to the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

While the Youth Centre was transferred to the Youth and Sports Ministry; the wedding hall, theatre and cinema hall, park and recreation areas in Kamor Facilities were transferred to the Directorate General of National Property.

"Their thefts do not end, they have transferred the properties like a bankrupt merchant. They know that they cannot come to power again and that they cannot appoint trustees. Now they think that whatever we steal, whatever we transfer would be a profit,” co-chair of the country’s third biggest party underscored.

DEM’s predecessor Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) won a total of 69 municipalities including three metropolitan cities, four provinces, 50 districts and 11 towns in the local elections held on March 31, 2019.

While the mayors of six districts were not given licenses because they were dismissed from public office with a Decree Law (KHK), the government appointed trustees to nearly all the remaining municipalities.

On August 19, 2019, Mardin Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Türk was dismissed by the Interior Ministry and replaced by the province's governor appointed as a trustee.

After the appointment of the trustee, allegations of corruption and bribery in the tenders in the municipality were voiced by the opposition politicians many times and several investigations were launched against the trustee administration.

DEM nominated Devrim Demir and Ahmet Türk as co-mayor candidates for Mardin Metropolitan Municipality in the upcoming local elections on March 31.

Topics DEM Party DEM HDP Mardin Tülay Hatimoğulları