Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold defects to Erdogan’s party
Erdogan welcomed Tugay at an AK Party ceremony after the mayor said the ruling party was the safest path for local service.
- On Wednesday, Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay joined President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party at an Ankara ceremony, granting the ruling party the mayoralty of Turkey's third-largest city for the first time.
- Tugay's shift reflects broader judicial pressure on opposition municipalities following the March 2024 local elections, when authorities launched criminal investigations targeting dozens of opposition-held cities across Turkey.
- Despite the defection, the AKP remains in the minority on the 184-member city council, where the New Party holds 91 seats. Tugay previously declared joining the AKP "not even a one-in-a-million chance."
- New Party leader Ozgur Ozel cited "threats, blackmail and pressure" against local officials on Tuesday, while police barricaded Izmir's main square Wednesday as protesters gathered to oppose the defection.
- Securing the mayoralty of this secular opposition stronghold represents a major symbolic coup for Erdogan, reshaping Turkey's local governance landscape even as the opposition retains legislative control of Izmir's city council.
124 Articles
124 Articles
On Tuesday, Izmir's mayor Cemil Tugay changed from the opposition CHP to the AKP ruling party. President Erdoğan personally handed him the party badge. The transfer is causing protests in the decades-long CHP stronghold and ranks in a nationwide wave of party changes. The Turkish press evaluates the step differently.
By joining President Erdogan's Islamic-Conservative party AKP, the mayor of Izmir handed over the city's keys to the presidential majority, in disregard of the voters' vote. ...
The mayor of the important city of Izmir, formerly an opposition stronghold, has switched to the ruling AKP party. This is a major symbolic...
In 2025, he considered the party to be "indecent". Now, the CHP mayor of İzmir has defected to the government camp. He is not the only one.
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