On 30 November 2007, Yerlikaya was made Governor of Şırnak. Serving until 13 May 2010, he was appointed as the Governor of Ağrı on the same day, serving until 3 August 2012. On 3 August 2012, he was appointed Governor of Tekirdağ until 19 February 2015, on which day he became Governor of Gaziantep. He served until 26 October 2018, upon which he became Governor of Istanbul, which is his current role.
Acting Mayor of Istanbul
held routine local elections on 31 March 2019. During the mayoral vote in Istanbul, the oppositionNation Alliance candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu won a surprise victory, edging past government-backed People's Alliance candidate Binali Yıldırım by a narrow 0.2% margin. The government subsequently appealed to the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey for a recount. After several complaints and recounts, İmamoğlu was eventually sworn in as Mayor on 18 April 2019. The YSK, however, accepted a complaint by the People's Alliance for an annulment of the elections on 6 May, thus removing İmamoğlu from his office as Mayor and scheduling fresh elections for 23 June 2019. As customary when a political position is in doubt, the Ministry of the Interior appointed the city's incumbent governor, namely Yerlikaya, as acting Mayor of Istanbul until the vacancy could be filled by the re-run vote. Yerlikaya, as acting mayor, was criticised for taking decisions that were viewed by the opposition as beyond the remit of a placeholder. He was also criticised for supposedly turning a blind eye to pro-Yıldırım posters and campaigns being conducted by municipal workers, who are required to remain neutral. İmamoğlu won the re-run with a substantially increased majority, thereby taking over from Yerlikaya.
Controversies
Comments about ISIL
While serving as Governor of Gaziantep, Yerlikaya made a series of gaffes during statements about captured militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. On one occasion, he referred to an ISIL militant on trial in a formal manner, using the formal suffix 'bey' after his name. His comments were criticised for supposedly showing ISIL militants respect. Yerlikaya responded by claiming that he had been misunderstood and that the suspected militant was innocent until proven guilty in court. On another occasion, he was criticised for commenting on an ISIL suicide bomber in an apparently supportive manner after the bomber had allegedly surrendered to the police. He again rejected criticism, saying instead that his supportive words had been directed to the police operation.
