Mayor formally joins ruling party
İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay joined Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, or AK Party, at a ceremony in Ankara on Wednesday, October 7. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended and pinned the party badge on Tugay.
A notable shift in İzmir politics
Tugay was elected mayor in 2024 as a candidate of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and left the party in June before joining the AK Party. İzmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, has long been a stronghold for the secular opposition, making the move politically significant.
Questions over local government ties
Tugay has said that cooperation between municipal and central authorities is important. His move comes amid continuing tensions between the government and opposition municipalities, including legal cases involving mayors. Tugay’s party change marks a shift in the political landscape of a city that has backed the CHP for decades.
