Türkiye’s New Party, AK Party eye new mayors joining their ranks

Allegiances are shifting in Turkish politics as mayors and lawmakers switch sides to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). A prominent mayor is reportedly set to join the party soon, according to unconfirmed reports, while confirmed reports indicate that former Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Özgür Özel is recruiting more mayors to his New Party (YP).

There is no summer slowdown in Turkish politics, with Parliament still in session and the main opposition fighting for survival. Özel has so far secured his place in the crowded political landscape by quickly elevating his New Party to the position of the main opposition, surpassing the CHP, from which he split just one week ago. Yet, the YP will still depend on broader public appeal.

This may come in the form of mayors who have left the CHP for the YP. Özel previously announced that more than 200 mayors would join the party. More than a dozen mayors have announced their switch over the past two days, and more are expected to do so in the coming days. Among those leaving the CHP for the YP are the mayors of Denizli, Manisa (Özel’s hometown), Çanakkale, Artvin, Bilecik and Burdur, along with the mayors of several smaller districts.

However, Özel is most eager to recruit Mansur Yavaş, the mayor of the capital, Ankara. Yavaş has remained either vague or silent in his support for the YP, while Özel has repeatedly said he would welcome him. Yavaş is viewed as a figure who could help the party’s “social democrats” attract conservative voters. In a recent interview, Özel implied that any mayor who does not openly pledge loyalty to the new CHP administration while remaining in the party would sooner or later join the YP.

The YP is also expected to attract more CHP lawmakers in the coming days, potentially increasing its parliamentary group to around 100 members and further diminishing the CHP’s standing in Parliament. In addition, 264 former CHP lawmakers pledged their loyalty to the new party in a joint statement on Monday.

Nevertheless, the YP is not the only party welcoming new names. Media reports on Wednesday claimed that Cemil Tugay, the mayor of the CHP stronghold of Izmir, Türkiye’s third-largest city, would soon join the AK Party. Tugay is currently an independent after leaving the CHP amid the turmoil that brought former Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu back to power after a court ruled that Özel had bought his way to the party’s chairmanship.

Nevşin Mengü, a journalist with close ties to the CHP, claimed that Tugay and three district mayors from Izmir would join the AK Party on Aug. 14, the anniversary of the party’s founding, which will be marked with major events in Ankara.

Elsewhere, four CHP district mayors in Istanbul, including one serving as acting mayor after replacing another CHP mayor, are also rumored to be preparing to join the AK Party. According to media reports published on Wednesday, the mayors of Tuzla, Şile and Eyüpsultan, along with the acting mayor of Çekmeköy, will join the party next month.

The AK Party has attracted many mayors from the CHP since the 2024 municipal elections, mostly those who fell out with the Özel administration. The last high-profile CHP figure to join the AK Party was Burcu Köksal of Afyon province in western Türkiye. The AK Party has also rejected several applications from CHP mayors seeking to join its ranks for various reasons.

Since the 2024 municipal elections, 76 mayors have joined the AK Party. Most came from the CHP and the New Welfare Party (YRP), which is ideologically closer to the AK Party than to the CHP. The AK Party has also welcomed nine mayors from the Good Party (IP), a right-wing party formed by lawmakers who split from the AK Party’s current ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). In addition, the AK Party has gained 14 opposition lawmakers since the 2023 general elections, most of them from the Good Party.

DAILYSABAH