One of the issues discussed at a meeting of the Central Decision and Administration Board (MKYK) of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara on Tuesday was local governance reform. The party has nearly finalized its work on the reforms, media outlets reported, amid a wave of corruption investigations targeting municipalities across the country.
The reforms include bringing discipline to municipalities’ financial structures, strengthening inspection mechanisms and cutting red tape that leads to overlapping authorities in municipal governance. They will soon be submitted to Parliament as part of a draft bill.
AK Party sources told reporters that Tuesday’s meeting focused on the impact of allegations of bribery, corruption and tender-rigging in investigations into municipalities, particularly those run by opposition parties, on municipal services.
The reforms will also focus on regulations governing construction permits and zoning. In many corruption cases involving municipal officials, including mayors, suspects are accused of issuing construction permits in violation of regulations in exchange for bribes or altering zoning plans to pave the way for commercial construction in areas that should otherwise be allocated for public use.