Turkey.. Mayor of Izmir Defects from the Opposition and Joins Erdogan's Party

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The Mayor of Izmir, Turkey, Cemil Tugay, defected from the Turkish opposition today, Wednesday, and joined the ruling "Justice and Development" Party led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a party meeting in Ankara, pledging to work on the advancement of the city, which is considered one of the opposition strongholds.

Erdoğan announced Tugay's joining of the ruling party during the parliamentary group meeting of the "Justice and Development" Party in Ankara, where he was welcomed in a celebratory atmosphere broadcast live on television.

Erdoğan stated that Cemil Tugay "is joining the family of the Justice and Development Party today."

For his part, Tugay said: "We are starting to advance Izmir, solve its problems, and almost completely rebuild it."

The presidency of the Izmir municipality, which is considered a "secular stronghold" on the Aegean coast and has been governed by the opposition social democrats for 27 years, represents a significant political gain for Erdogan.

Although Togay's joining contributes to expanding the influence of the "Justice and Development Party" in Izmir, this does not mean that it will gain a majority in the city's metropolitan municipality council, which is still dominated by the opposition.

Togay was elected as mayor in March 2024, receiving 48.97 percent of the votes, which is about 1.3 million votes, in Turkey's third-largest city, which has a population of approximately 4.5 million.

However, he resigned from the "Republican People's Party" in June following a controversial court decision that plunged the party into a crisis and led to the ousting of its leader, Ozgur Ozel, who founded the "Yeni Parti" (New Party), which is now one of the prominent opposition parties in Turkey.

Despite leaving the party, Togay did not join Ozel, affirming his desire to remain independent.

During the summer, speculation spread about the possibility of his joining the "Justice and Development" Party, which he consistently denied, affirming in January that his mother would disown him and his wife would leave him if he did so.

Tugay's decision came after weeks of rumors about his intention to change his party affiliation.

Tugay told reporters as he entered the headquarters of the "Justice and Development" Party: "We love Izmir. We hope this decision brings good to everyone."

A large crowd gathered in the hall, applauding and cheering enthusiastically for Erdogan, chanting "Izmir is proud of you" since the beginning of his speech.

Tugay's defection comes as the Turkish opposition faces a series of arrests and trials of mayors and elected officials.

In parallel with the trials, defections are increasing, as at least 17 opposing mayors have joined the "Justice and Development" Party, according to the "Mediaskop" news site last week, before the defection of Togay.

Special sources revealed to "Al Arabiya.net" and "Al Hadath.net" that the "Republican People's Party" will witness more resignations, including resignations from parliamentary deputies and mayors.

During a meeting of the "Yeni Parti" in parliament on Tuesday, Ozil condemned what he described as a campaign of pressure being exerted on elected officials in Izmir.