Cemil Tugay, the mayor of Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city and an opposition stronghold, has defected to the ruling AKP. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced Tugay's decision at a parliamentary group meeting in Ankara, where he welcomed the mayor and presented him with a party pin.
Izmir, a secular resort city with 4.5 million residents, has been governed by social democrats since 1999. Taking control of the mayorship is seen as a significant move for Erdoğan, despite opposition parties retaining a majority on the city council.
The centre-left Republican People's party (CHP) won a substantial victory in the March 2024 local elections. However, the opposition has reportedly faced an increasing crackdown, with observers citing politically motivated arrests and lawsuits targeting mayors and elected officials.