Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi, İBB) is the government agency in charge of the municipal affairs of the Istanbul Province. It is one of the 30 metropolitan municipalities in Turkey.

History
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality was established on 23 March 1984, following the enactment of the metropolitan municipality act on 8 March 1984. Initially, the municipality covered only the urban centers of Istanbul, which accounted for 35% of the Istanbul Province. The rest of the province was administered by the Istanbul Special Provincial Administration.

In July 2004, the concept of metropolitan municipality was redefined in Istanbul and Kocaeli, where thenceforth metropolitan municipality borders would overlap with provincial borders. This change enabled the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality to extend its jurisdiction to the whole province, and to assume the responsibilities of the provincial government. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality now concentrates the competences of public management, while the Istanbul Special Provincial Administration's duties are limited to the building and maintenance of schools, residences, government buildings, and roads, and the promotion of arts, culture, and nature conservation.

Organization
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality is divided into 39 district municipalities, which are the second-level local governments within the province. Each district municipality has its own mayor and council, elected by the local voters. The district municipalities are responsible for providing municipal services, such as water, sewerage, waste management, social assistance, health, education, culture, sports, and transportation, within their boundaries.

Governance
The Municipal Council of Istanbul (İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediye Meclisi) is the decision-making organ of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. It consists of 333 members, who are elected by the voters of the 39 districts for a five-year term. The council elects the Mayor and the Metropolitan Executive Committee from among its members. The council also approves the budget, plans, and policies of the municipality.

The current Mayor of Istanbul is Ekrem İmamoğlu from the Republican People's Party (CHP), who was elected in the 2019 election with 54.21% of the votes. He succeeded Ali Yerlikaya from the Justice and Development Party (AKP), who had ex-officio served as acting mayor in his capacity as governor of Istanbul Province after the March 2019 election was annulled by the Supreme Electoral Council.

The Metropolitan Executive Committee is the executive organ of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. It consists of 21 members, who are elected by the Municipal Council from among its members. The committee assists the Mayor in implementing the decisions of the council, and supervises the activities of the municipal administration.

In the 2024 local elections, İmamoğlu was reelected with 51.15% of the vote. Additionally, the CHP won 26 of the 39 districts in Istanbul and a majority in the Istanbul Municipal Council.