In a move that has sent shockwaves through Turkey's political landscape, Cemil Tugay, the mayor of İzmir, has defected to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The switch, announced on Wednesday, marks the end of 27 years of centre-left rule in Turkey's third-largest city and hands Erdoğan a symbolic victory he has been unable to secure at the ballot box.
Erdoğan personally welcomed Tugay at the AK Party's headquarters in Ankara, pinning the party badge on the mayor's lapel during a ceremony broadcast live. Addressing party MPs at the opening of the legislative year, Erdoğan declared, "İzmir is different today. Very enthusiastic." Tugay, for his part, told reporters, "Good things await İzmir."
The defection is a dramatic reversal for Tugay, who in August 2025 told a television programme that there was "not even a one-in-a-million chance" he would join the AK Party, adding that a mayor elected from the CHP had no right to switch parties. "I find that very shameful. I am not that kind of person," he said at the time. In January, he revealed that his mother had threatened to disown him and his wife to divorce him if he ever joined Erdoğan's party.
Tugay's political journey has been turbulent. He left the CHP in June following a court ruling that reinstated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as party leader, serving as an independent for three months. Many observers expected him to join the New Party (YENİ) founded by former CHP leader Özgür Özel, but he did not. In August, he insisted that joining any party was "out of the question," saying, "I will remain independent, I have said many times that I will stay independent, but in truth I am upset that this keeps being talked about every day."
Yet behind the scenes, Tugay was already charting a new course. On 30 September, he met Erdoğan at the presidential complex. Two days later, he resigned from both the Atatürkist Thought Association and the Social Democracy Association. The day before the announcement, the AK Party released a video showing a rubbish-strewn street being covered with flowers, set to a patriotic Turkish song about İzmir from the 1920s, with the date "7 October 2026" appearing at the end—a clear hint at the upcoming announcement.
A symbolic prize for Erdoğan
İzmir has long been a bastion of secular, centre-left politics, and Tugay's victory in the March 2024 local elections was decisive. He won 48.97% of the vote against AK Party candidate Hamza Dağ's 37.06%, a margin of 314,000 votes. The city has been governed by centre-left or left-wing mayors since 1999, making Tugay the first right-wing mayor in nearly three decades.
The defection is a significant blow to the Turkish opposition, which is already fractured. Özgür Özel, leader of the New Party, accused the AK Party of using "threats, blackmail and pressure" to secure Tugay's switch. "This is not something you can achieve with grab-and-run tactics," Özel said, addressing Erdoğan directly. "The AK Party has never won İzmir at the polls and never will."
New Party spokesman Zeynel Emre noted that party switches cannot be assessed independently of the judicial proceedings against opposition mayors, hinting at the broader context of legal pressure on elected officials.
Despite Tugay's defection, the AK Party does not control İzmir's city council. The New Party remains the largest group with 91 members, while the AK Party now holds 39 seats and independents 11. This means Tugay will face a hostile council, complicating his ability to govern effectively.
The move also raises questions about the stability of Turkey's local democracy, as opposition figures increasingly face pressure to align with the ruling party. For Erdoğan, securing İzmir's mayorship is a strategic victory in a city that has resisted his party for decades, and it may signal a broader effort to consolidate power ahead of future elections.
As Tugay begins his new role within the AK Party, the political fallout is likely to reverberate across Turkey. The opposition, already weakened by internal divisions, must now contend with the loss of one of its most prominent figures in a key stronghold. Whether this defection will inspire further switches or galvanise resistance remains to be seen.
