ANKARA (XINHUA) – The Turkish government replaced two mayors in the eastern province of Tunceli following a court ruling.
According to a statement from the Turkish Interior Ministry, Tunceli City Mayor Cevdet Konak and Ovacik District Mayor Mustafa Sarigul were removed from office after being sentenced to six years and three months in prison on charges of “being a member of a terrorist organisation”.
Cevdet Konak, representing the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, and Mustafa Sarigul, from the Republican People’s Party, were elected in local elections in March.
In their place, Tunceli Provincial Governor Bulent Tekbiyikoglu has been appointed as the acting mayor of Tunceli City, while district governor of Ovacik Huseyin Samil Sozen has been assigned as the acting mayor of Ovacik.
