Istanbul Governor's Office announced that Beşiktaş Municipality Assembly will hold an election on January 23rd to elect a deputy mayor to replace the suspended Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat.
Following the governorate's announcement, all eyes turned to the deputy mayoral elections to be held tomorrow.
Although the fact that all 31 names elected as Beşiktaş Municipality Council Members in the March 31, 2024 elections are CHP members seems to make things easier, the election is expected to be a critical race due to internal party balances and prominent names.
In addition to the name supported by the imprisoned Mayor Rıza Akpolat and Erdoğan Toprak, it was learned that Özgür Özel, the Chairman, Gökan Zeybek, the Deputy Chairman in charge of Local Governments, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the IBB Mayor and Özgür Çelik, the Istanbul Provincial Chairman, were also closely involved in the election of the deputy mayor.
Although Ekrem İmamoğlu points to Rıza Akpolat in the election of the deputy mayor, both İmamoğlu and other actors continue to lobby behind the scenes for the election of the name they support.
One of the most prominent names for the deputy chairmanship is Sebahattin Öztürk, former CHP Beşiktaş District Chairman. The fact that Öztürk is an experienced name who knows both the district and the party increases his chances.
Gökan Zeybek, on the other hand, is known to support Fahrettin Çırak, Beşiktaş Municipality Assembly Member and Chairman of the Council. The fact that Çırak comes from the construction sector stands out as his biggest handicap. It is said that CHP councilmembers do not favor the election of a contractor as deputy mayor, especially in such a period.
Another name mentioned is İlker Uluer, who is also a member of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Assembly.
Uluer is said to be trying to increase his chances with propaganda that he has the support of both İmamoğlu and the Rıza Akpolat/Erdoğan Toprak team.
Ali Rıza Yılmaz, Deputy Mayor and Council Member of Beşiktaş, is also among the candidates. He is among the defendants facing up to 17 years in prison in the case related to the fire that broke out during renovations at a nightclub in Beşiktaş on April 2, 2024, killing 29 people. It is said that Yılmaz's chances are also low due to the ongoing case against him.
“Let's not have another Akpolat case”
The last name mentioned for the deputy mayor to replace Rıza Akpolat is Ömer Rasim Şişman, whose star is rising rapidly within the party and who was also appointed as CHP IBB Group Secretary.
Born in 1991, Şişman, who grew up in the CHP Youth Branch and is also the President of the Social Democracy Foundation (SODEV), is one of the names recognized by some council members.
Şişman, who is among the names allegedly supported by Erdoğan Toprak and Rıza Akpolat, has a marriage story similar to Rıza Akpolat's in his private life.
Rıza Akpolat, who divorced Derya Akpolat, the mother of his two children, married Yeşim Ağırman, former CHP Istanbul Provincial Women's Branch Chair Yeşim Ağırman, who divorced her husband Metin Ağırman, last July.
The wedding ceremony, which was attended by the party's senior management, including CHP Chairman Özgür Özel and IBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, was widely discussed in the press and party public opinion.
The reason for this was that Metin Ağırman, whom Yeşim Ağırman divorced, was also a party member and family friends with the Akpolat family.
It was also learned that Canem Avcı, whom Ömer Rasim Şişman married in 2023, was married to E.K. from the CHP Youth Branch and divorced after this affair and married Şişman.
This similarity in Şişman's private life led CHP members to object to his appointment to the seat vacated by Rıza Akpolat, saying “We cannot afford another Rıza Akpolat case. This would create a new public debate”.