Mass resignation at Şişli Municipality: 31 council members resigned from CHP

Thirty-one municipal council members from the main opposition CHP resigned from the party in Istanbul's Şişli district, where the municipality is run under a government-appointed trustee, or kayyum. The members said their resignations were meant to signal their opposition to the trustee system and to court rulings of absolute nullity (mutlak butlan) affecting elected officials. The mass exit strips the CHP of its council group in one of Istanbul's central districts and underscores the friction between the opposition and centrally appointed local administrations. It remains to be seen whether the resignations shift the balance of power on the Şişli council, trigger new group formations, or prompt further moves by the CHP leadership.