A new mayor was elected yesterday to Istanbul's Beşiktaş, a central and one of the oldest districts in Istanbul. Tahir Doğaç from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) succeeded Murat Hazinedar from the same party who was suspended by the Interior Ministry over an ongoing probe.

Hazinedar and two members of the district's council are accused of having links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and corruption.

Beşiktaş has long been a stronghold of the CHP, which has been unable to win a seat in Istanbul's municipality in over a decade. Hazinedar's suspension came about one month after Battal İlgezdi, mayor of Ataşehir on Istanbul's Asian side, was suspended from office by the Interior Ministry.

The investigation followed serious allegations of corruption in public tenders and questions regarding the sudden wealth the mayor and his wife gained after İlgezdi was elected to office.