Duties and Authorities The status, election, duties and dismissal of the mayor of the metropolitan municipality are set out in Articles 17, 18 and 19 of the Law No. 5216 (*), which entered into force upon publication in the Official Gazette on 22 July 2004. The mayor of the metropolitan municipality is the head of the metropolitan municipality administration and the representative of the legal entity. The mayor of the metropolitan municipality is directly elected by the voters within the borders of the metropolitan municipality in accordance with the principles and procedures specified in the relevant law. The term of office is five years. The deputy mayor of the metropolitan municipality shall be determined according to the procedures in the Municipal Law. However, district mayors within the metropolitan municipality shall not be deputy mayors of metropolitan municipalities. Mayors of metropolitan and district municipalities may not hold office in the administrative and supervisory bodies of political parties during the continuation of their term of office, and may not serve as the president or be in the management of professional sports clubs. According to Article 18 of the Law No. 5216, the duties and authorities of the mayor of the metropolitan municipality are listed as follows: a) To direct and manage the municipal organisation as the top supervisor of the municipal organisation, to protect the rights and interests of the town and the municipality. b) To manage the municipality in accordance with the strategic plan, to formulate the institutional strategies of the municipal administration, to prepare and implement the budget in accordance with these strategies, to determine, monitor and evaluate the performance criteria of municipal activities and personnel, and to submit the related reports to the council. c) To preside over the metropolitan municipal assembly and council and to implement the decisions of these bodies. d) To take necessary measures for the effective and efficient implementation of the duties and services assigned to the metropolitan municipality by this Law. e) To ensure the effective and efficient management of the metropolitan municipality and its affiliated organisations and enterprises, to prepare the draft budgets of the metropolitan municipality and its affiliated organisations and enterprises, the proposals for amendments to the budget and the final accounting tables of the budget. f) To monitor the rights and interests of the metropolitan municipality, to ensure the collection of receivables and revenues. g) To enter into contracts on behalf of the metropolitan municipality, to accept gratuitous donations and to make necessary disposals, provided that the decision of the authorised bodies is taken. h) Representing the metropolitan municipality in courts as plaintiff or defendant and in official authorities, having the municipality and its affiliated organisations represented by lawyers or private lawyers. i) Appointing municipal personnel and auditing the municipality and its affiliated organisations. j) To perform marriages in person when necessary. k) To perform the services related to the duties of the metropolitan municipality among the duties and powers given to the mayors by other laws and to use the authorities. l) (Cancelled: Constitutional Court dated 25/1/2007 and E.: 2004/79, K.: 2007/6.)* m) To use the appropriation allocated for the poor and needy in the budget, to establish disability centres to support activities related to the disabled. *In subparagraph l of Article 18 of the Law No. 5216, which was cancelled by the Constitutional Court, it was stated as "To delegate one or more of its duties and authorities to the district or first level mayor when necessary". Termination of mayorship Article 19 of the Law No. 5216 stipulates that "Without prejudice to the provisions of the Municipality Law, the duties of the mayors of metropolitan and district municipalities who participate in the actions and transactions that lead to the dissolution of the metropolitan municipality council shall be terminated by the decision of the Council of State. (*) The amendments made to Articles 17, 18 and 19 of the Law No. 5216 are as follows: With the 12th and 13th articles of the Law No. 6360 dated 12/11/2012, the phrases ", first tier" in the Law No. 5216 were removed. With the Article l of the Law No. 6462 dated 25/4/2013, the expressions "with the handicapped" and "handicapped" in this subparagraph were changed as "with the disabled" and "disabled" respectively.