Former Mayor of Istanbul Kadir Topbaş, who assumed the role for 13 years, has passed away while being treated for COVID-19 in hospital.
Topbaş, who had been receiving treatment for the coronavirus in an intensive care unit (ICU) in Istanbul for some time, was 76 years old.
Topbaş was hospitalized on Nov. 16. 2020. While in hospital his condition deteriorated and he was intubated.
It was reported that Topbaş was on dialysis last week.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a tweet he was deeply saddened at the demise of Topbaş and his contributions to Istanbul and Turkey would not be forgotten.
Former Istanbul mayor is survived by three children and his wife.
Topbaş served as mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in Turkey from 2004 to 2017 but was also an architect and businessperson as well as being a politician.
Topbaş was the first politician to have won three consecutive local elections in Istanbul.
In 2004, he became the head of Istanbul-based United Cities and Local Governments, Middle East and West Asia Regional Government, and vice president of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). He became UCLG co-chair in 2007.
Topbaş, an architect by profession, previously became mayor of Istanbul's Beyoğlu district in 1999. After the 2004 regional elections, Topbaş assumed office as the mayor of Istanbul. He became the first Istanbul mayor to be reelected twice for the post in 2009 and 2013. Topbaş announced his resignation after 13 years of service in September 2017.
