# İzmir centre-left mayor joins Erdoğan’s AK Party, shocking Turkish opposition

https://mins.news/en/item/89420

- euronews, 2026-10-07 10:12 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/07/izmirs-centre-left-mayor-joins-erdogans-ak-party-shocking-turkish-opposition

> İzmir mayor Cemil Tugay has joined Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AK Party. Tugay won the country’s third-largest city for the CHP in 2024 by 314,000 votes, and received his new party badge from Erdoğan in Ankara on Wednesday, ending 27 years of centre-left rule there.

## Related coverage

- [Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold Izmir defects to Erdoğan’s party](https://mins.news/en/item/89781) — The Guardian, 2026-10-07