Izmir Mayor’s Party Switch and Joining the Justice and Development Party
Cemil Tugay, Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, joined the Justice and Development Party (AKP) on October 7, 2026. The party badge ceremony was held during the “Opening Meeting of the AKP Parliamentary Group for the New Legislative Year” at the party’s congress center in Ankara, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey and AKP Chairman, personally presented the party badge to Tugay.
Cemil Tugay was elected Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality as the Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate in the March 2024 local elections with 49.97% of the vote. Following the issuance of a “absolute nullity” (Mutlak Butlan) ruling related to CHP’s internal process, he resigned from the party on June 18, 2026, and continued his duties as an independent from that date.
Tugay had previously strongly denied any claims about joining the AKP and considered such a possibility unlikely. However, on September 30, 2026, he met with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex.
Tugay entered the AKP congress center in Ankara on October 7, 2026. Upon entering the building, in response to journalists’ questions, he said: “I love Izmir very much.”
The badge ceremony was held during the opening meeting of the AKP parliamentary group for the new legislative year. Erdoğan began his speech with the phrase “Izmir has a different atmosphere today, very enthusiastic,” and then announced Tugay’s joining the party. While presenting the badge, Erdoğan said:
“To Cemil Tugay, Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, who joined us today, I say: Welcome to the AKP family. On the path of serving Izmir, the pearl of the Aegean, and our brothers and sisters from Izmir, we will support you with all our means.”
Tugay also said in his speech: “The best politics is service, and I have realized this. Serving such a city and its people is an honor.” He also stated: “The Justice and Development Party is a shelter for the destitute.”
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, CHP Chairman, in reaction to this party switch, stated that the decision was made to create an advantage for a specific group and to protect his personal position. He also added that he had warned Tugay before handing over the party leadership.
The CHP, YENİ, and TİP parties also voiced harsh criticism of this move. These criticisms focused mainly on not adhering to the people’s vote, the necessity of resigning from the mayorship, and the incompatibility of this decision with voter expectations. CHP demanded Tugay’s resignation from the mayorship. YENİ strongly condemned the party switch and emphasized the need for resignation. TİP also considered this move incompatible with the trust of the voters who had voted for him.
The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Council has 184 members. With Tugay’s joining the AKP, the mayorship passed to this party, but the council majority still remains with the opposition parties.
According to the latest published figures, the composition of the council is as follows:
- YENİ Party: 93 seats
- AKP: 38 seats (increased to 39 with Tugay included)
- CHP: 33 seats
- Independent: 12 seats (decreased to 11 with Tugay included)
- MHP: 7 seats
- BBP: 1 seat
Izmir had been continuously governed by left-wing and secular parties since 1999. The last mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality from a right-wing party was Burhan Özfatura from ANAP, elected before 1999. With Tugay’s joining the AKP, Izmir will be governed by a right-wing party for the first time in 27 years.
Furthermore, the AKP had never been able to win Izmir at the ballot box in local elections throughout its 24-year political history. This is the first time the AKP has taken over the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality administration through a political transfer.
After news of Tugay’s party switch spread, protests were held in Izmir. More than a thousand people gathered to protest the mayor’s joining the AKP. The protesters gathered in Izmir’s Republic Square, and police prevented their march by setting up barricades.
Additionally, following this event, the first collective resignations began in Izmir. Reports indicate that after Tugay’s joining the AKP, the resignation process in municipal subordinate institutions has continued.
Guide to Party Names in the Text:
- CHP (Republican People’s Party – Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi): Turkey’s oldest political party, founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. It describes itself as social democratic and center-left, and is known in the news text as the main opposition party.
- AKP (Justice and Development Party – Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi): Turkey’s ruling party, with a conservative-democratic line. It has been in power since 2002. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is one of its leaders.
- YENİ (New Party – Yeni Parti): Founded in July 2026 by Özgür Özel and 90 other deputies who split from the CHP. It forms the second-largest group in the Grand National Assembly after the AKP.
- TİP (Workers’ Party of Turkey – Türkiye İşçi Partisi): A socialist and working-class party with roots going back to the 1960s. It was re-founded in 2017 and is led by Erkan Baş.
- MHP (Nationalist Movement Party – Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi): A right-wing and nationalist party, initially founded in 1958 under the name “Republican Villagers’ Party” and later renamed MHP. It is the main ally of the AKP in the ruling coalition.
- BBP (Great Unity Party – Büyük Birlik Partisi): A nationalist and Islamist party founded in 1993 by Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu. It also occupies a place on the right of Turkish politics.
