Latest defection hands Erdogan’s AKP control of Turkey’s third-largest city
The ruling party’s takeover of Izmir’s mayoralty is the latest example of the unraveling of the opposition parties’ historic gains in Turkey’s 2024 local elections.
ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party on Wednesday gained control of the mayoralty of Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city and a secular stronghold, after Mayor Cemil Tugay joined the ruling Justice and Development (AKP). The ruling party achieved the shift through a political switch rather than at the ballot box.
Izmir's independent mayor, Tugay — who had served as an independent mayor since resigning from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in June — joined the AKP, becoming the latest of more than 80 opposition and independent mayors to switch to Erdogan’s party in a striking reversal of the opposition’s gains in the 2024 local elections.
Tugay joined the AKP on Wednesday at a ceremony at the party’s headquarters in Ankara.
Crossing the floor
