The decision to revoke the mandate of Abdullah Zeydan, from DEM, after he won in the eastern city of Van, sparked condemnation and street protests on Tuesday. Police used a water cannon and tear gas to disperse the demonstration in Van. DEM said it would seek to appeal the decision.
The main opposition center-left Republican People’s Party, or CHP, also condemned the move and dispatched a delegation from the party to Van in a show of support to Zeydan.
In revoking his mandate, the electoral authority cited a last-minute court decision that reversed an earlier court ruling that said the politician, who spent time in prison, could run for office.
Zeydan won 55% of the votes in Van in Sunday's balloting. The second-placed candidate, Abdullah Arvas of Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party, garnered 27%.
In addition to Van, DEM won the municipalities of nine provinces in Turkey’s mainly-Kurdish populated southeast.
Over the past years, Erdoğan’s government had removed elected pro-Kurdish mayors from office for alleged links to Kurdish militants and replaced them with state-appointed trustees.