Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, has made the following statement:
"I express my grave concern about the recent decisions of the Turkish authorities to dismiss the elected mayors of four municipalities (Mardin, Batman, Halfeti and Esenyurt), and to replace them with governors appointed by the Ministry of Interior.
Following the case of the mayor of Hakkari in June 2024, these dismissals constitute the most recent application of the long-standing practice of appointing trustees, considered by the Congress and the Venice Commission as undermining the very nature of local democracy. Indeed, these mayors were elected by Turkish voters during the local elections held on 31 March 2024, which were observed by the Congress.
Only last month, the Congress pointed out, in Recommendation 519(2024), the need to abolish this practice and called on the authorities to ensure that ineligibility of candidates is assessed prior to the elections and based on a final criminal conviction. In the event of a mayor's dismissal, municipal councils should be able to choose a replacement mayor. The Congress looks forward to pursuing its political dialogue with the Turkish authorities to ensure the implementation of this recommendation."
