Besim Dutlulu, mayor of the Akhisar district, was elected as the new mayor of Manisa province on Monday, succeeding Ferdi Zeyrek after the latter’s death by electrocution in an incident at home. Zeyrek was severely injured after the incident on June 6 and died in intensive care three days later. A beloved mayor from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Zeyrek drew public sympathy after stories of his personal benevolence emerged posthumously.
Manisa has been a stronghold of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) before CHP won the municipal elections in 2024, first in the province since 1950.
The party nominated Dutlulu for Monday’s election while other political parties, including ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) did not field candidates, out of respect in memory of Zeyrek. Dutlulu garnered votes of 85 members of the municipal assembly, out of 87 members who cast a vote.
Addressing the assembly after his election, he said he shouldered a great responsibility by succeeding the late mayor and vowed to work to fulfill “the dreams of Zeyrek as mayor.”
Meanwhile, an investigation is underway into Zeyrek’s death. The mayor was electrocuted while checking apparently faulty wiring in his villa’s swimming pool and his family has claimed that maintenance staff was responsible for the incident, claiming they acted with negligence. Two suspects, including the swimming pool’s maintenance worker and a maintenance man for the villa complex where Zeyrek resided, were initially detained in the case before they were released with judicial control on June 11. Three days later, four people who worked on the construction of the pool and the installation of the power supply for the pool were detained and three of them were subsequently arrested.
