President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the AKP's victory in the Gaziosmanpaşa deputy mayor election. This development holds significant importance in Turkey's political agenda.

Following the arrest of Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe, Eray Karadeniz from the AKP was elected as deputy mayor with 21 votes. This situation was protested by CHP members.

Bahçetepe described this as a disrespect to democracy and emphasized that the will of the people had been usurped. CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik made a similar statement.

Erdoğan recalled his quote, 'Democracy is not an end for us, but a means,' stressing the need to respect the national will.

This incident brings to mind a similar situation in 1998 when Erdoğan was the Mayor of Istanbul, where the will of the people was also not respected.