Izmir mayor defects to Erdogan's AKP, first time party holds city
In short
Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay joined President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party on Wednesday, giving the party the mayoralty of Turkey's third-largest city, an opposition stronghold it had never won in elections in more than 23 years in power. Tugay, elected in 2024 with 49% of the vote, had resigned from the opposition CHP in June after a court case removed the party's leadership. Police set up barriers in Izmir's main square after the opposition called for protests, while the city's municipal assembly remains under a New Party majority.
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The mayor of Izmir, Cemil Tugay, joined President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party on Wednesday, giving the ruling party the mayoralty of Turkey's third-largest city, according to Bloomberg, Reuters and the Associated Press. Bloomberg reported that Erdogan announced Tugay's membership at an AK Party meeting, describing Izmir as an opposition stronghold the party had never won in an election in more than 23 years in power. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The AP reported that Tugay joined Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, or AKP, at a ceremony at its headquarters in Ankara. In a brief speech after Erdogan pinned a party badge on his lapel, Tugay described the AKP as the “voice of the voiceless” and pledged to revitalize and rebuild Izmir as the western port city's first AKP mayor, the AP reported. [ 3 ]
Tugay won the 2024 election with 49% of the votes, the AP reported. He resigned from the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, in June after the party was hit by a legal case that removed its leadership. The AP reported that after the court's decision in May, droves of CHP members left, many joining the New Party established by deposed CHP leader Ozgur Ozel, which surpassed the CHP as the largest opposition party. Tugay remained an independent and denied plans to join the AKP, according to the AP. [ 3 ]
Izmir's municipal assembly remains under the control of a New Party majority, the AP reported. Police set up barriers in Izmir's main square on Wednesday after the opposition called for people to protest Tugay's defection. [ 3 ]
The AP reported that since 2024, when the CHP strengthened its grip on major cities including Ankara and Istanbul, municipalities held by the party have been targeted by waves of criminal investigations in which hundreds of CHP members have been jailed. The most prominent case is Ekrem Imamoglu, the metropolitan mayor of Istanbul and the opposition's favored challenger to Erdogan in the next presidential election, who has been behind bars since March last year and faces several legal cases, the main one alleging corruption within the Istanbul municipality; if convicted, the AP reported, he could be sentenced to more than 2,300 years in total. Critics claim the court cases are politically motivated and aimed at weakening the opposition, the AP reported. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The defection hands Erdogan's AK Party control of a city and region it has never won at the ballot box, weakening an opposition already hit by a wave of legal cases against CHP-held municipalities. The AP reported that Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, seen as the opposition's favored challenger to Erdogan, has been jailed since March last year and faces a corruption case, giving the shift in Izmir added weight ahead of any future presidential contest.
Key facts
- Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay joined President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party on Wednesday, giving the ruling party the mayoralty of Turkey's third-largest city. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Izmir had been held by the opposition and had not been won by Erdogan's party in elections over more than 23 years in power, according to Bloomberg and the AP. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Tugay won the 2024 election under the opposition ticket with 49% of the votes, the AP reported. [ 3 ]
- Tugay resigned from the CHP in June after a legal case removed the party's leadership, the AP reported. [ 3 ]
- Erdogan pinned a party badge on Tugay at a ceremony at AKP headquarters in Ankara, where Tugay called the AKP the “voice of the voiceless” and pledged to revitalize and rebuild Izmir. [ 3 ]
- Izmir's municipal assembly remains under the control of a New Party majority, according to the AP. [ 3 ]
- Police set up barriers in Izmir's main square on Wednesday after the opposition called for people to protest Tugay's defection, the AP reported. [ 3 ]
- The AP reported that since 2024, municipalities held by the CHP have been targeted by criminal investigations that have seen hundreds of CHP members jailed. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The AP reported that critics claim the court cases against CHP-held municipalities are politically motivated and aimed at weakening the opposition. This is attributed by the AP to critics rather than confirmed by an official source, and no other document addresses the motivation behind the cases.
- The AP reported that Tugay had denied plans to join the AKP before his defection. Only the AP states this; the other documents do not mention his earlier position.
- How Tugay will govern given that Izmir's municipal assembly remains under a New Party majority. The AP states the assembly majority but the documents do not say what this means for the mayor's ability to act.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Bloomberg reports that Erdogan announced Tugay's AK Party membership at a party meeting on Wednesday, handing the party control of Izmir. [ 1 ]
- Reuters reports that the mayor of Turkey's secular stronghold Izmir joined Erdogan's party. [ 2 ]
- The AP reports Tugay joined the AKP at a ceremony at its headquarters in Ankara, where Erdogan pinned a party badge on his lapel. [ 3 ]