Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold defects to Erdogan’s party

ISTANBUL (AP) — The mayor of Turkey’s third-largest city, Izmir, defected to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’s ruling party on Wednesday, giving it the mayoralty of the opposition stronghold for the first time.

Izmir had been led by the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, for more than two decades until Mayor Cemil 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.

Tugay, who won the 2024 election with 49% of votes, resigned from the CHP in June after the party was hit by a legal case that removed its leadership.

The court’s decision in May saw droves of CHP members leave, with many joining the New Party established by deposed CHP leader Ozgur Ozel, which surpassed the CHP as the largest opposition party. Tugay, however, remained as an independent and denied plans to join the AKP.

Izmir’s municipal assembly remains under the control of a New Party majority.

Police set up barriers in Izmir’s main square Wednesday after the opposition called for people to protest Tugay’s defection. They later blocked protesters, many calling for Tugay’s resignation, from marching along a main street, the pro-opposition Halk TV news channel reported.

“The people of Izmir don’t want Cemil Tugay,” said the New Party’s provincial head, Cagatay Guc, who was leading the protest. “We want him to resign.”

Since 2024, when the CHP strengthened its grip on many major cities, including the capital Ankara and Istanbul, municipalities held by the party have been targeted by waves of criminal investigations that have seen hundreds of CHP members jailed.

The most prominent case involves Ekrem Imamoglu, the metropolitan mayor of Istanbul and the opposition’s favored challenger to Erdogan in the next presidential election. He has been behind bars since March last year.

Imamoglu faces several legal cases, with the main one alleging corruption within the Istanbul municipality. If convicted, he could be sentenced to more than 2,300 years in total.

While critics claim the court cases are politically motivated and aimed at weakening the opposition, the government insists the country’s judiciary is independent and free from political influence.