Governor of Istanbul


The Governor of Istanbul is the civil service state official responsible for both national government and state affairs in the Province of Istanbul. Similar to the Governors of the 80 other Provinces of Turkey, the Governor of Istanbul is appointed by the Government of Turkey and is responsible for the implementation of government legislation within Istanbul. The Governor is also the most senior commander of both the Istanbul provincial police force and the Istanbul Gendarmerie.

Appointment

The Governor of Istanbul is appointed by the President of Turkey, who confirms the appointment after recommendation from the Turkish Government. The Ministry of the Interior first considers and puts forward possible candidates for approval by the cabinet. The Governor of Istanbul is therefore not a directly elected position and instead functions as the most senior civil servant in the Province of Istanbul.

Term limits

The Governor is not limited by any term limits and does not serve for a set length of time. Instead, the Governor serves at the pleasure of the Government, which can appoint or reposition the Governor whenever it sees fit. Such decisions are again made by the cabinet of Turkey. The Governor of Istanbul, as a civil servant, may not have any close connections or prior experience in Istanbul Province. It is not unusual for Governors to alternate between several different Provinces during their bureaucratic career.

Functions

The Governor of Istanbul has both bureaucratic functions and influence over local government. The main role of the Governor is to oversee the implementation of decisions by government ministries, constitutional requirements and legislation passed by Grand National Assembly within the provincial borders. The Governor also has the power to reassign, remove or appoint officials a certain number of public offices and has the right to alter the role of certain public institutions if they see fit. Governors are also the most senior public official within the Province, meaning that they preside over any public ceremonies or provincial celebrations being held due to a national holiday. As the commander of the provincial police and Gendarmerie forces, the Governor can also take decisions designed to limit civil disobedience and preserve public order. Although mayors of municipalities and councillors are elected during local elections, the Governor has the right to re-organise or to inspect the proceedings of local government despite being an unelected position.

List of governors of Istanbul

No.NameTook officeLeft office
1Mithat Bey24 December 192711 July 1928
2Muhittin Üstündağ14 July 19284 December 1938
3Lütfi Kırdar5 December 193820 October 1949
4Fahrettin Kerim Gökay24 October 194626 November 1957
5Mümtaz Tarhan29 November 195711 May 1958
6Ethem Yetkiner14 May 195827 May 1960
7Refik Tulga27 May 196026 February 1962
8Niyazı Akı6 March 196218 January 1966
9Vefa Poyraz18 January 19662 June 1973
10Namık Kemal Şentürk26 June 197325 October 1977
11İhsan Tekin7 February 19789 April 1979
12Orhan Erbuğ29 May 19796 December 1979
13Nevzat Ayaz7 December 197918 January 1988
14B. Cahit Bayar18 January 198819 August 1991
15Hayri Kozakçıoğlu19 August 19911 November 1995
16Rıdvan Yenişen4 November 199524 July 1997
17Kutlu Aktaş24 July 19974 August 1998
18Erol Çakır6 August 199816 February 2003
19Muammer Güler17 February 200331 March 2010
20Hüseyin Avni Mutlu31 March 201025 September 2014
21Vasip Şahin25 September 20141 November 2018
22Ali Yerlikaya1 November 2018current