European institutions raise alarm over local democracy in Turkey in joint letter

27.04.2026

By Turkish Minute

Source:https://www.turkishminute.com/2026/04/27/european-institutions-raise-alarm-over-local-democracy-in-turkey-in-joint-letter/

Representatives from several major European institutions have sent a rare joint letter to Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, expressing concern over the state of local democracy, citing the prolonged detention of elected officials and its impact on democratic governance.

The development was announced on Monday by Nacho Sánchez Amor, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, who described the joint message as an “unprecedented move” in a post on X.

Nacho Sánchez Amor

@NachoSAmor

In a quite unprecedented move, the "Rapporteurs" on #Türkiye of @PACE_News, @COECongress, @Europarl_EN & @EU_CoR have co-signed a joint letter to Turkey Minister of Interior on the concerning situation of local democracy and how it is weaking democracy.

The letter was co-signed by rapporteurs on Turkey from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the European Parliament and the European Committee of the Regions.

In the letter, addressed to Çiftçi, the officials said they were closely monitoring developments in Turkey, a longstanding member of the Council of Europe and a candidate for European Union membership.

They said their cooperation with Turkey has been based on shared values including democracy, human rights and the rule of law but warned that recent developments were raising serious concerns about the functioning of local democracy.

The signatories pointed in particular to the prolonged pretrial detention of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, noting that his detention entered its second year on March 23.

İmamoğlu, a prominent figure in Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and its 2028 presidential candidate, has been in pretrial detention since March 2025 on charges that include corruption and “political espionage.”

His arrest, which came just hours after his formal nomination, sparked nationwide protests and has been widely condemned as politically motivated.

The letter also mentioned the continued detention of other opposition-affiliated local officials in the wake of an ongoing judicial crackdown on the CHP.

“The current situation is weakening democracy in general by undermining the rights of voters to freely choose their representatives. We have systematically raised our concerns regarding these issues through our political dialogue with the Turkish authorities,” the letter said.

The concerns of the EU officials come amid the ongoing crackdown on opposition-run municipalities following the March 2024 local elections, in which the CHP achieved its strongest nationwide result in decades. Since then dozens of CHP mayors have faced investigations, detention or removal from office.

Referring to a 2025 report by the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, the EU officials said the pretrial detention of elected mayors, if not in line with the European Convention on Human Rights, could negatively affect local democracy.

According to recent media reports, 20 CHP mayors remain in prison, while 25 have been suspended, including İmamoğlu. Several municipalities have been placed under trustee rule or have shifted to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) through city council votes or defections after elected mayors were removed.

The officials said they had repeatedly raised these concerns in their political dialogue with Turkish authorities and reiterated their willingness to continue engagement.

They also expressed readiness to support Turkey in meeting its democratic commitments as a member of the Council of Europe and a strategic partner of the European Union.

Describing the joint letter as an effort to address ongoing challenges, the signatories said they hoped for “tangible and sustainable progress” in upholding democratic principles in Turkey.