REDISTRICTING THREATENS OPPOSITION ENCLAVES IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISTANBUL 000079 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2018 TAGS: PREL TU SUBJECT: REDISTRICTING THREATENS OPPOSITION ENCLAVES IN ISTANBUL Classified By: Consul General Sharon A. Wiener for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) intends to redistrict Istanbul before the 2009 March local elections in hopes of weakening further the opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) power in Istanbul, according to Kadikoy Mayor Selami Ozturk. In both statements to the press and privately to PolOff, Ozturk said that the AKP wants to weaken the CHP's hold over the affluent district of Kadikoy by redrawing the boundary of Kadikoy before the local elections. Using the recent release of the 2007 Census numbers that show significant population increases in Istanbul as justification for the boundary changes, the AKP also intends to gerrymander four other CHP controlled districts in the city, according to press statements from the Istanbul branch chief of the CHP. ¶2. (SBU) Kadikoy, and the other four CHP controlled districts--Sisli, Bakirkoy, Avcilar, and Besiktas--are opposition bastions within an increasingly AKP controlled city. In 2004 Ozturk won reelection in Kadikoy with 51 percent of the vote, in contrast to the AKP who won 43 percent of the vote in Istanbul, capturing 24 districts along with the top prize of the citywide mayor. Ozturk told PolOff that conflict between his office and the citywide government is becoming more frequent; currently there are about 60 current legal disputes between Kadikoy and the Istanbul Mayor's office. Ozturk also complained about frequent interference and harassment from the AKP-dominated state agencies. ¶3. (SBU) Ozturk stated that the AKP is also planning to "seize" the proposed site of the Turkish Central Bank away from Kadikoy, by creating a new district--Erengaz--to the north. If the Central Bank is moved to this location, the creation of a new district would strain Kadikoy's infrastructure while providing the new district with significant tax revenues. Ozturk opposes the Central Bank move on the basis of it adding congestion to the already overburdened transportation system and harming the residential nature of Kadikoy. ¶4. (C) Comment: While AKP Istanbul Foreign Relations Committee Chair Aysegul Topal claims redistricting will be done to achieve real administrative and operating consistencies and savings, she acknowledged in a conversation with us February 8 that redistricting also had real political benefits. It appears AKP is determined to redraw municipal boundaries in Istanbul that should help them capture even more district municipalities in 2009, however, unintended consequences sometimes result from well-devised schemes. WIENER