Turkish mayor ‘resists’ after ruling AKP demands his resignation

ANKARA

The mayor of a northern Turkish province rejected a call from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to resign on Sept. 13, according to party sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Ordu Mayor Enver Yılmaz was in the headquarters of his party in Ankara on Sept. 13. It was claimed that he was asked by AKP leaders to resign.

Instead of resigning, Yılmaz tweeted negative comments about AKP’s deputy chair Numan Kurtulmuş in the evening. He later deleted the tweets, which were referring to Kurtulmuş’s criticism of the AKP before his switch to the ruling party.

It was not immediately clear whether Yılmaz was still on duty on Sept. 14.

Yılmaz’s bodyguards had fought with the bodyguards of a police chief in front of Kurtulmuş during a festival in Ordu last year. The Interior Ministry had launched an investigation into the incident.

With the March 2019 local elections approaching, the ruling party had previously demanded the resignation of the Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Düzce, Balıkesir and Niğde mayors. They had all complied.