Türkiye to hold by-elections in six newly reinstated towns on June 7

ANKARA

Türkiye’s election authority has decided to hold local by-elections on June 7 in six settlements that have recently regained or been granted town status.

The vote will cover the election of mayors and municipal council members in five locations previously announced, as well as Kuşçu, a settlement in the northern province of Tokat whose legal status has recently been finalized following a court ruling.

Kuşçu, located in the Yeşilyurt district, regained its municipal status following a final ruling by Türkiye’s top administrative court on April 3, overturning a previous decision that had downgraded it to a village.

Following the ruling, local authorities applied to the Supreme Election Council (YSK) to initiate the electoral process. The council approved the request, confirming that Kuşçu retains its municipal legal personality and should hold elections alongside the scheduled by-elections.

The June 7 vote will take place in other towns that recently obtained municipal status, including Yolüstü and Çevrecik in Tokat’s Reşadiye district, Bağtaşı in Almus district, Tekke in the Black Sea city of Gümüşhane’s central district and Mustafapaşa in the central city of Nevşehir’s Ürgüp district.

In the Turkish administrative system, a town refers to a small municipality or township that occupies a middle ground between a village and a district center.

While a village is typically managed by an elected headman, a town possesses its own legal personality, allowing it to have an elected mayor, a municipal council and its own budget for local services.