ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Izmir, Turkey’s major opposition stronghold, late Wednesday following the mayor’s defection to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the main opposition Yeni Parti (New Party) slamming the move as “shameful.”

On Wednesday, Turkey’s Mayor of Izmir Cemil Tugay, formerly of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), joined AK Party with Erdogan welcoming him to the “family.”

Following the developments, more than 1,000 protesters gathered in Izmir, a major Turkish opposition stronghold, to protest the mayor’s defection to the AKP, which was portrayed as a major achievement for the ruling party in gaining support in the mostly secular city, where the CHP has long been the main opposition party in power, challenging the government.

“Today, the AK Party held a group meeting and announced that they had enrolled the Mayor of Izmir into their ranks,” Ali Mahir Basarir, the deputy chairman of the newly formed opposition Yeni Parti (New Party), said in parliament. 

“It is a shameful situation.”  

Tugay was elected as mayor in April 2024, but left the CHP in June following a controversial court ruling involving the party that annulled the leadership of Ozgur Ozel on disputed legal grounds, with the latter accusing Erdogan of seeking to quash opposition politics through judicial rulings.

Ozel resigned from the party in July to launch the New Party along with 90 lawmakers.

“What kind of shamelessness is this? Look: those who resist are in prison, those who stand tall with honor are in prison; while those who bend and bow, who have no face to show in the streets, are pinning badges in the AKP group,” Basarir said. 

Regarding Tugay’s defection ceremony, the opposition chairman said that “a shameful video made with artificial intelligence” was shared at the event, portraying Izmir as “a mountain of garbage.” He said, “I have never seen any such place in Izmir.”

“You share a video about how a mayor runs Izmir, and then you pin a badge on that same mayor,” he said sarcastically.

The CHP, previously the second-largest party with 135 lawmakers, now falls to fourth place with 44 seats, behind the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM Party), which holds 56 seats.

After the CHP lost the 2024 Turkish presidential election in a landslide and voted to replace its leadership, Kemal Kilicdaroglu - who had led the party for nearly 14 years - filed a legal challenge against Ozel, arguing that the congress in which he was replaced had been conducted illegally.

Erdogan's administration has intensified its crackdown on the CHP since the party secured major victories in the 2024 local elections, with numerous party officials arrested on various charges, including the former Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu, who was poised to be Erdogan's chief competitor in Turkey's next presidential elections.