Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay Defects to Ruling AK Party
Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay joined President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party on Wednesday, granting the ruling party control of a traditional opposition stronghold.
Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay formally joined President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) during a ceremony in Ankara on Wednesday. Tugay, who won the 2024 election as a candidate for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) with 49% of the vote, resigned from the CHP in June after a court ruling annulled the party's 2023 congress and stripped Özgür Özel of his chairmanship.
This defection grants the AK Party control of the country's third-largest city, a secular stronghold the ruling party has never won at the ballot box. While Tugay now leads the city under the AK Party banner, Izmir's municipal assembly remains controlled by a majority of the New Party, established by the deposed CHP leader Özgür Özel.
The switch occurs amid a broader crackdown on opposition municipalities, with several mayors—including Istanbul's Ekrem İmamoğlu—jailed on corruption charges. Özgür Özel accused the AK Party of using blackmail and threats of imprisonment to force the defection, calling Tugay a "genuine traitor." President Erdogan rejected these claims, stating that those who want to serve their cities in peace see the AK Party as the "safest address."
In response to the defection, opposition supporters called for protests in Izmir, prompting police to establish barriers in the city's main square.
