Ali Yerlikaya

Yerlikaya graduated from the Istanbul University Faculty of Political Science in 1989, with a degree in Public Administration. He began work at the Ministry of the Interior as a candidate to become a Kaymakam (a district governor) in 1990. He served as the Kaymakam for the districts of Felahiye, Erzin, Derabucak, Hilvan and Sarıkaya during his early bureaucratic career.^{[citation needed]}

Yerlikaya also served as a legal advisor to the Ministry of the Interior and the Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Health. He was also an executive board member of the Turkish Heavy Industry and Service Sector Public Employers' Union (TÜHİS).^{[citation needed]}

On 30 November 2007, Yerlikaya was made governor of Şırnak. Serving until 13 May 2010, he was appointed as the governor of Ağrı on the same day, serving until 3 August 2012. On 3 August 2012, he was appointed governor of Tekirdağ until 19 February 2015, on which day he became governor of Gaziantep. On 26 October 2018, he became governor of Istanbul until 4 June 2023.

Turkey held routine local elections on 31 March 2019. During the mayoral vote in Istanbul, the opposition Nation Alliance candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu won a surprise victory, edging past government-backed People's Alliance candidate Binali Yıldırım by a narrow 0.2% margin. The government subsequently appealed to the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey (YSK) for a recount. After several complaints and recounts, İmamoğlu was eventually sworn in as Mayor on 18 April 2019. The YSK, however, accepted a complaint by the People's Alliance for an annulment of the elections on 6 May, thus removing İmamoğlu from his office as Mayor and scheduling fresh elections for 23 June 2019.

As customary when a political position is in doubt, the Ministry of the Interior appointed the city's incumbent governor, namely Yerlikaya, as acting Mayor of Istanbul until the vacancy could be filled by the re-run vote.^[1] Yerlikaya, as acting mayor, was criticised for taking decisions that were viewed by the opposition as beyond the remit of a placeholder.^[2] He was also criticised for supposedly turning a blind eye to pro-Yıldırım posters and campaigns being conducted by municipal workers, who are required to remain neutral.^[3]

İmamoğlu won the re-run with a substantially increased majority, thereby taking over from Yerlikaya.^{[citation needed]}

Since June 2023, he is the Interior minister in the cabinet led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.^[4] February 11, 2026, he was succeeded by Mustafa Çiftçi.^[5]