‘Have 259 Mukhtars Been Discharged as a Local Election Campaign of AKP?’

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During his speech on October 13, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signaled that an operation would be launched against neighborhood and village heads (mukhtars).

Two days later, the Ministry of Interior announced that 259 mukhtars have been discharged from their posts.

103 village mukhtars, 156 neighborhood mukhtars

In the statement released by the Ministry of Interior, it has been stated, "Due to their relation with the terrorist organization and their actions incompatible with their duties, 259 mukhtars have been discharged from their posts."

It has also been indicated that while 103 of the discharged mukhtars were in charge of villages, 156 of them were neighborhood mukhtars.

In response to these discharges, Siirt MP of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Meral Danış-Beştaş has submitted a parliamentary inquiry to be responded by the Ministry of Interior.

Village guards were also discharged

In her parliamentary inquiry, Danış-Beştaş has reminded that 635 village guards were similarly discharged from their posts on October 12, 2018.

In operations that were launched in Turkey's eastern province of Van on October 11 and 12, 40 people were taken into custody and three of the 15 arrested people were mukhtars.

17 questions by HDP MP Danış-Beştaş

In her parliamentary inquiry addressed to Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu, Danış-Beştaş has asked 17 questions.

In the inquiry, Danış-Beştaş has asked whether trustees will be appointed in place of the mukhtars who have been recently discharged; whether the discharge of the mukhtars has been an operation directed to the forthcoming local elections; and whether the discharged mukhtars have been the ones who did not participate in the mukhtars' meetings held by President Erdoğan. (HK/SD)

* Photograph: Anadolu Agency / Ankara