Opposition proposes to exile booze from southern town, AKP deputies reject

The surprise reversal came weeks after the government demanded the resignation of an alcohol drinking local official in the same province
In an unusual twist of political lines, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) members of a district assembly in the southwestern province of Muğlu have rejected an opposition proposal to exile businesses serving alcoholic drinks from residential areas of the town.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) members of the assembly in the Seydikemer district of Muğla prepared a surprise motion last month, stipulating that all businesses serving alcohol must reside outside the residential area of the city. The AKP members of the assembly, however, rejected the motion at a session on July 16.

Ahead of the vote, CHP group head Cemil Daydır said Seydikemer is a “conservative town,” adding that his party was against new alcohol licenses in the town as “nobody likes having an entertainment venue right next to his house.”

“Such businesses should be located outside the center of town in order to prevent the promotion of alcohol, which is the problem of our times among the youth,” Daydır said.

However, AKP group spokesman Hüseyin Turhan insisted that the current restrictions were enough. Current legislation stipulates that licensed businesses serving alcoholic drinks cannot be within 100 meters of public buildings, schools and mosques.

The CHP’s motion was eventually rejected by 14 votes from the AKP, against eight in favor from the CHP and three from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

The opposition often criticizes the AKP government for its practices limiting alcohol consumption, with...