YENİ Party Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik filed a criminal complaint with the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office over allegations of pressure and threats in the Üsküdar deputy mayor election. Çelik requested that the investigation not be limited to Ayhan Aydın; that statements be taken from all members who changed their party or voting preference; and that threats and offers of money and benefits be investigated. He alleged that MP Suat Özçağdaş witnessed the phone call in which Aydın was threatened and that Aydın told him he was under pressure. Çelik, who called for an examination of the circumstances surrounding the preferences of Ahmet Başbaydar, Hüseyin Kazan, Tahsin Usta, Tahsin Epli and Onur Bayav, also requested that interviews with party representatives and public officials be conducted when necessary, and that HTS records, camera footage and financial transactions be investigated. Çelik announced that he had been summoned to give a statement and would go to Çağlayan Courthouse with his lawyers.
Why it matters
The application brings into question the examination of the Üsküdar deputy mayor election not only at the level of political preference, but also in terms of whether decisions were influenced in exchange for pressure or benefits. The requested statements, HTS records, camera footage and financial transactions point to a demand that the investigation not be limited to a single person and that different sources of evidence be assessed together. For this reason, the process brings to the fore the question of the conditions under which the will of the members said to have changed their preference in the election was formed. However, at this stage, whether the allegations of pressure and threats are substantiated will become clear through the statements of the individuals named and the examination to be conducted by the prosecutor’s office. Çelik’s being summoned to give a statement also shows that the application has not remained merely at the level of a statement.
Background
YENİ is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 72 reports mentioning this name in the last 90 days; the most recent was dated September 9, 2026.