MAYOR RIZA AKPOLAT
He was born in Istanbul in 1982 as the second child of a tradesmen family from Erzincan.
In order to support democratic and social development of Türkiye, he became involved in politics at a young age in the Republican People’s Party (CHP), while working and studying at the same time. After graduating from Sakarya University with a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, he started his master’s degree in Global Politics and International Relations. He attended many seminars and events in Türkiye and abroad as a European Union Expert.
In the meantime, he respectively served as the Branch Chairman, Deputy District Chairman, District Chairman of the Istanbul Youth Branch of the Republican People’s Party, and then as the party’s Istanbul Branch Deputy Chairman. He established a new perspective on political life in Beşiktaş with the idea that local democracy, the principle of subsidiarity and local governments hold great importance in ensuring social development.
As a result of the Turkish Local Elections on 31 March 2019 where he was a mayoral candidate for Beşiktaş, he broke the vote record of 73% and was deemed worthy of this honourable duty by Beşiktaş residents.
Thanks to its historical and cultural heritage from the Ottoman Empire to the foundation of the republic, Beşiktaş is one of the most important historical cities and is the crown jewel of Türkiye and Istanbul with its nearly 3 million daily visitors and 185 thousand inhabitants. Rıza Akpolat is continuing to work towards his national and international vision that will prepare Beşiktaş, the Turkish city that speaks to the world, for the future in every aspect, and strives to create a brighter tomorrow for his two daughters.