The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) seeks to improve the work and transparency of local administrations.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s remarks at the inauguration of the new session of Parliament earlier this month signaled the start of a sweeping reform of local administrations. “We will further reinforce transparency, accountability and efficiency in the public sector by implementing steps that will strengthen fiscal discipline in local administrations,” Erdoğan emphasized.
The AK Party is working on new legislation aimed at tightening the financial structures of municipalities, clarifying service priorities and strengthening oversight mechanisms, Sabah newspaper reported on Monday.
According to the draft proposal, some powers of metropolitan, provincial and district mayors may be limited. Municipal spending will be subject to stricter audits and municipalities will be required to generate their own revenue. The proposal also calls for municipalities to focus on essential services and establish a “service hierarchy” to ensure more effective use of public funds.
In cases where basic services are disrupted, the central government will intervene. The reform aims to raise standards and increase regular inspections, particularly in water supply, transportation and waste management. Municipalities that fail to fulfill their responsibilities will face penalties and the transfer of certain powers is under consideration.
Municipalities that violate zoning regulations will face severe sanctions. In addition to audits by the Court of Accounts, the Civil Administration Inspection Board and the Ministry of Interior, a new “Audit Commission” will be established to evaluate the effectiveness of municipal spending.
The draft also includes provisions for tailored budget strategies in tourism regions that see population spikes in the summer. This measure is designed to enable more effective service planning based on seasonal demand.
In the past year, municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) faced increased scrutiny, investigations and criticism for a string of shortcomings and alleged corruption by mayors and top municipal bureaucrats.
Mountains of uncollected garbage on the streets and days of water shortages are among a few of the growing issues, while several mayors are facing accusations of taking bribes.
From Izmir in the west to the capital Ankara, public services have taken a blow in recent months at municipalities, something blamed on mismanagement by critics of the CHP.
In Izmir, Türkiye’s third-largest city and a stronghold of the CHP, negligence on the improvement of infrastructure and piles of garbage uncollected on streets due to strikes by underpaid workers have added to the woes of residents already complaining of stench from the polluted sea. Most recently, Izmir was hit by lengthy water shortages amid soaring temperatures in August, blamed on mismanagement of the water authority, coupled with declining water levels in dams. Locals quoted by the Sabah newspaper also complained of the heavy stench from sewage and floods after almost every precipitation, putting the blame on the municipality’s insufficient infrastructure investments.
The capital, Ankara, made headlines last month when burst water pipes led to a mass water shortage, especially in the Mamak district. Water supplies were only fully restored this week, while sights of locals lining up around water trucks added to the dismal record of CHP Mayor Mansur Yavaş. Yavaş is already embattled with legal woes due to alleged excessive spending of municipal funds on concerts instead of improving infrastructure.
Water shortages also hit Edirne in the past two days, while Mayor Filiz Gencan acknowledged that water pipes in the northwestern city are old and occasionally suffer from bursting and subsequent water shortages.
Bursa, Türkiye’s fourth largest city, faces future water shortages, while critics of the municipality say the problem can be solved by a water treatment facility, yet to be constructed by the municipality.
In Adana, the lack of maintenance on several roads has forced citizens to cover them with carpets to counter uneven surfaces, while the Bilecik mayor from the CHP found a solution to curb the repulsive stench from sewage by covering manholes with nylon coverings.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier this month hit out at the CHP’s lack of public services at municipalities. Addressing an AK Party event, Erdoğan said the CHP should apologize for the municipalities’ failure.
“(CHP Chairperson Özgür Özel) recently invited headmasters of schools to apply to their municipalities for free water services. Elsewhere, you see people in the capital suffering from water shortages. The CHP is not ashamed, though,” Erdoğan said.
“You should collect garbage and supply water to the people first. You should get rid of the mountains of garbage. You should get rid of the corruption stain,” the president said.
More than a dozen mayors from the CHP and hundreds of municipal officials have been arrested in recent months for alleged corruption, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu.
“You should have an ounce of conscience. They squandered resources in the past five years without building on the legacy of services in the past 25 years,” Erdoğan said, referring to municipalities run by the AK Party for more than two decades, including Istanbul.
“Our cities went back to the old days. People are suffering in traffic jams. Instead of an apology, the CHP smears us. You have to respect the people who have to wait for hours with water cans in hand. You have no respect for people trying to cross through mountains of garbage while commuting,” Erdoğan said.
