Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay Defects to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Party in Landmark Shift

The mayor of Turkey’s most prominent opposition stronghold has defected to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, in a move that has sparked widespread protests and renewed criticism regarding the state of Turkish democracy.

President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) has historically never won a mayoral election in Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city. Widely regarded as a bastion of secular opposition parties that reject the president’s brand of Islamist nationalism, the city saw a major political pivot when Mayor Cemil Tugay joined the AKP during a ceremony on Wednesday. In a brief speech, Mr Tugay described the party as the “protector of the defenceless.”

President Erdogan stated that he would support Mr Tugay “with all our resources in the effort to serve Izmir.” Gaining control of Izmir, a province of 4.5 million people, represents a significant victory for the Turkish President, whose party has frequently criticized the opposition’s governance of the key Aegean coast center. Local AKP chief Bilal Saygili called the move “a new era” and “a fresh start for Izmir” in a post on X.

This defection is the most prominent in a recent wave of political switches to the AKP. Critics argue these moves are part of an effort by the ruling party to maintain control over city governance despite suffering an overwhelming defeat in the 2024 local elections.

“What does this tell us about the state of Turkish democracy? Well, it tells us that it doesn't exist,” Berk Esen, an Istanbul-based political scientist, told The National.

The mayor's decision immediately triggered anti-government protests in Izmir. According to AFP, more than 1,000 demonstrators took to the streets to voice their anger, only to be blocked by security barricades and anti-riot police. Local professional groups swiftly declared that Mr Tugay had lost his legitimacy and disrespected the electorate.

“At this point, what must be done is to step down from that office,” the Izmir Bar Association stated on social media. The medics’ association added that he had “betrayed the duty entrusted to him.” Furthermore, nine advisers to the municipal theatre resigned, stating that the defection “disregards the will of Izmir’s people and our audience.”

Before the switch, Mr Tugay had previously denied any intentions of joining the AKP. He had told Turkish media in January that his wife threatened to divorce him and his mother warned she would disown him if he did so. Despite these warnings, his wife Oznur Tugay stood beside her husband and President Erdogan at the Wednesday ceremony.

Mr Tugay originally won the 2024 mayoral race with 48.97 percent of the vote representing the Republican People’s Party (CHP). At the time, the CHP served as Turkey’s main opposition party, but it was struck by a lawsuit in May that removed and replaced its leadership. This led to the formation of the New Party, which subsequently became the country’s largest opposition force. Mr Tugay left the CHP following the May lawsuit, continuing to serve as an independent mayor before joining the AKP, while opposition parties retain control of the municipal council.

Critics view the defection as part of a broader pressure campaign against Turkey’s political opposition, which has experienced arrests, lawsuits, and defections over the past two years. “Elections are losing their meaning and significance because even if the ruling party loses elections, it can figure out extra-legal, extra-constitutional ways of reversing the outcome of these elections,” Mr Esen noted.

Mr Tugay is not the first high-profile local leader to switch sides. Last year, Ozlem Cercioglu, the mayor of Aydin in western Turkey, resigned from the CHP to join the AKP. Numerous district-level mayors and two MPs have also defected. Meanwhile, several opposition officials have faced legal action, with seven opposition provincial mayors arrested since the 2024 vote—six of whom remain imprisoned, according to a recent tally by news website Oksijen. The most notable case involves Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who remains jailed following his March 2025 arrest and denies all corruption charges against him.

Tunc Soyer, Mr Tugay’s predecessor as mayor of Izmir who is currently imprisoned on corruption-related charges, condemned the defection from his high-security facility. “Do not bow your head, beautiful Izmir,” he wrote. The Turkish government continues to deny any political motives behind the lawsuits, insisting that the judicial system remains fully independent.