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Mayor of Türkiye's secular stronghold Izmir joins Erdogan's party

Cemil ⁠Tugay

© APA | Cemil ⁠Tugay

# 07 October 2026 13:39 (UTC +04:00)

The mayor of Izmir, Türkiye's third-largest city and a ​bastion of its secular opposition, joined ‌President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party (AKP) on Wednesday, giving it the mayoralty ​of a city it has ​never won at the ballot box, Reuters reports.

Cemil ⁠Tugay, elected mayor in 2024 as ​a candidate of the Republican People's ​Party (CHP) before quitting in June, formally joined the AKP at a ceremony headed by ​Erdogan in Ankara. Tugay won ​the March 2024 election with 49% of ‌the ⁠vote, against 37% for the AKP candidate.

The move is a significant symbolic gain for Erdogan's party in the ​western ​coastal city, ⁠long regarded as the heartland of Türkiye's secular, social ​democratic opposition. It comes ​amid ⁠a crackdown on opposition-run municipalities in which dozens of mayors have been ⁠jailed ​pending trial in corruption ​cases that the opposition says are politically motivated.

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