A muhtar, or a neighborhood head, in the Vakfıkebir district of Trabzon province is facing an investigation because he has refused to attend regular meetings President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan holds at his presidential palace with muhtars, the Cumhuriyet daily reported on Wednesday.
Çay neighborhood muhtar Gökhan Bahadır came to public attention with his statements in July. Back then, he said he would not attend muhtarsmeetings at Erdoğan’s palace because it would violate his impartiality as a muhtar since Erdoğan is acting like a president from a political party.
Erdoğan is required by the Turkish Constitution to act impartially; however, he has been behaving like the Justice and Development Party (AKP) president since his election to the top state post in August 2014.
Cumhuriyet said an investigation was launched intoBahadır over charges of insulting Erdoğan and that a summary of proceedings was submitted to the Justice Ministry, but the ministry refused to allow any charges to be pressed because Erdoğan had withdrawn all the insult cases he filed against individuals in the summer.
Erdoğan announced that he was withdrawing insult cases he against individuals, citing an environment of solidarity in the country in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt on July 15.