Turkish opposition stronghold Izmir mayor defects to Erdoğan's party

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 7 Oct, 15:14 · Archive

Cemil Tugay, the mayor of Izmir, has joined Erdoğan's ruling AK Party, ending 27 years of centre-left rule.

Cemil Tugay, the mayor of Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city and an opposition stronghold, has defected from the centre-left CHP to the ruling AK Party. Tugay won the 2024 election with a 314,000-vote majority, ending 27 years of centre-left governance in the city. He received his AK Party badge from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Wednesday.

The Guardian reports that Turkey's opposition is facing an increasingly intense crackdown, with what observers describe as politically motivated arrests and lawsuits targeting opposition mayors and other elected officials. The defection marks a significant shift in one of the opposition's major strongholds.

Turkish opposition stronghold Izmir mayor defects to Erdoğan's party — Image: Guardian World

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How it is being reported

Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold Izmir defects to Erdoğan’s partyCemil Tugay joins ruling AKP after vowing he would never switch sides in coup for Turkish president The mayor of Izmir, Turkey’s third city and an opposition stronghold, has defected to the ruling AKP in a move hailed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president. Turkey’s opposition is battling an increasingly intense crackdown, with a barrage of what observers say are politically motivated arrests and lawsuits targeting its mayors and elected officials. Continue reading...Guardian World · 7 Oct, 14:54
İzmir's centre-left mayor joins Erdoğan's AK Party, shocking Turkish oppositionCemil Tugay, who won İzmir for the CHP with a 314,000-vote margin in 2024, received his AK Party badge from Erdoğan in Ankara on Wednesday, ending 27 years of centre-left rule in Turkey's third-largest city.Euronews · 7 Oct, 11:12

In this story: Cemil Tugay · Recep Tayyip Erdoğan · AK Party · CHP · Izmir · Turkey

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