Mansur YAVAŞ was born on May 23, 1955, in Beypazarı, Ankara. He is a lawyer and politician, currently serving his second term as Mayor of Ankara. He is married with two children.

Mansur YAVAŞ completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in the Beypazarı district of Ankara and graduated from Istanbul University’s Faculty of Law in 1983. He then spent 13 years working as a freelance lawyer in Beypazarı.

His interest in politics began in his youth, and he was elected as Mayor of Beypazarı for two terms between 1999 and 2009. During his tenure, he carried out a number of important works.

Mansur YAVAŞ has spearheaded a multitude of projects that have transformed Beypazarı district in a multitude of ways. Along with enhancing the living standards, tourism, social life, and infrastructure services of the district, he has also placed a significant emphasis on rural production. While organizing international festivals in Beypazarı, he has brought the historical and local texture, as well as the appearance of the district, to the present day through building restorations. The promotion of local delicacies has elevated Beypazarı to a prominent position in terms of capital city tourism, with the region becoming a destination for tourists. YAVAŞ has received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions to the area.

YAVAŞ then advanced his political career by being elected as Mayor of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality from the Republican People’s Party for his first term in the local elections held in 2019 and for his second term in 2024.

Upon assuming office in 2019, he implemented novel approaches to municipal management, including the “transparent, social, accountable, productive municipality” concept, which represents a pioneering initiative in Turkey. He also introduced the “Mansur YAVAŞ Municipalism” model to the global community.

He has implemented practices that have been emulated throughout the country, which have become state policy and have fostered a sense of trust throughout society. These include:

Starting live broadcasting of Municipality Assembly meetings and tenders,
Placing cameras on snow plow vehicles and opening the license plate tracking system to the public through a digital platform,
Establishment of the Başkent Card system where each low-income family can shop by determining their own needs and prioritizing the commercial life of the tradesmen and ending the distribution of parcels in social aid,
Organizing campaigns with the theme of “6 Million One Heart” during the pandemic period, and ensuring that the community maintains their private and commercial lives in unity and solidarity,
Early detection of a fatal disease such as SMA in children, HPV vaccination for women, supply of diabetes sensors for students taking exams, fight against addiction, access to hygienic materials, expansion of internet infrastructure throughout the city and free internet use,
Increasing opportunities for equal opportunities in education and raising healthy children and youth, raising children with the same opportunities as their peers,
The establishment of solidarity networks in combating disasters and improving living conditions, gathering the support of universities, hospitals, public, private and non-governmental organizations can be counted as the main scopes.

His achievements have also earned him numerous national and international awards, including:

Council of Europe: “European Label of Governance Excellence Award” (ELoGe) (2023)
Union of Historic Cities: “Union of Historic Cities Implementation Achievement Award” for “Inner Castle Street Sanitization Project” (2023)
“My Purple Map” project (2023) and “Contracted Producer Model” project (2022) in the Project Category Inspiring Public Sector by KalDer – Turkish Quality Association
Hacettepe University, “Crystal Deer Award” (2022)
“2021 World Mayor Capital Award” (2021) by The City Mayors Foundation based in the United Kingdom
“2020 Transparency Award” (2021) by Transparency International as part of the international “December 9 World Anti-Corruption Day”
“Social Social Responsibility Gold Award”, “Economic Responsibility Gold Award” and “Social Innovation Gold Award” (2021) in the “Positive Social Impact” category for the “Baskent Card” project at the Sardis Awards
“Most Transparent Municipality” award nationally by the Human Development Foundation (İNGEV) (2021 and 2022)