TURKEY: Protests against appointment of Mohammed Naci Inci as President of Boğaziçi-Bosporus University

ISTANBUL — Professors, students, and staff at Boğaziçi-Bosporus University in Istanbul, Turkey, organized protests against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to appoint Professor Dr. Naci İnci as university president to succeed former president Melih Bulu, stressing that they would not accept İnci’s appointment.

The demonstrators demanded İnci resign immediately, saying he was unwanted.

According to weekly Turkish newspaper Oksijen, the university’s academics held an informal election to determine possible candidates for a new university president. The academics decided that any candidate that received more than two-thirds “countervotes” would be rejected.

Seven hundred forty-six academics voted in the election. Prof. Dr Naci İnci and his assistant Prof. Dr Gürkan Kumbaroğlu received 95 and 93 percent countervotes respectively.

Despite the results of the internal election, the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) appointed İnci as the new university president.

The academics rejected the decision, calling the process of his appointment undemocratic.

Erdogan’s regime suppressed these student protests, calling the students “terrorists” and promising to take action against the demonstrations opposing Bulu’s appointment.

24 Ağustos 2021 Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Akademisyenleri Nöbeti no.155. (Direnişin 34. haftası/233. günü)•August 24th 2021: Bogazici University Faculty Vigil #155/34rd week/233rd day of resistance @UniBogazici #KabulEtmiyoruzVazgeçmiyoruz @unibogazici_en #WeDoNotAcceptWeDoNotGiveUp pic.twitter.com/CbkMti0LbN

— Can Candan (@yunusunbabasi) August 24, 2021