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Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold defects to Erdoğan’s party amid political crackdown

the GuardianEnglish

About this story

Izmir mayor Cemil Tugay joins ruling AKP after vowing he would never switch sides in boost for Turkish president

Summary from the Guardian

Section: World news
By: Guardian staff reporter
Published: Oct 7, 2026, 1:54 PM UTC
Updated: Oct 7, 2026, 2:36 PM UTC

How other outlets describe it

A stronghold of Turkey’s opposition has fallen to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party for the first time

ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and VideosMayor of Turkish opposition stronghold defects to Erdogan's party

Ruling party has never won election in Izmir but now controls city

The NationalTurkish mayor defects to Erdogan's party in opposition stronghold

More than 1,000 protesters gathered in Turkish opposition stronghold Izmir on Wednesday, angered by the defection of the city's

Al-MonitorMayor of Turkish opposition stronghold defects to Erdogan party

Topics in this story

#mayor #turkish #opposition #stronghold #defects

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Background

Context from Wikipedia on the organisations, people and places in this story.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

President of Turkey since 2014

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a Turkish politician who has been the president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which he co-founded in 2001. He also served as mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. Coming from an Islamist background and promoting socially conservative policies, Erdoğan has been Turkey's de facto leader since 2003. Turkey has experienced democratic backsliding and suppression of dissent under Erdoğan.

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12 other outlets reported this story in the last 3 days.

Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold defects to Erdogan's partyABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos33 hr. ago
Turkish mayor defects to Erdogan's party in opposition strongholdThe National9 hr. ago
Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold defects to Erdogan partyAl-Monitor29 hr. ago
Protests erupt in İzmir after mayor defects to Erdoğan’s ruling partyTurkish Minute13 hr. ago
Mayor of opposition stronghold Izmir defects to Erdogan partyAFP.com34 hr. ago
Izmir protests after mayor defects to AKP, opposition slams move as ‘shameful’The New Region9 hr. ago
Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold defects to Erdogan's partyOskaloosa Herald34 hr. ago
Protests in major Turkish city after mayor defects to Erdogan partyArab News23 hr. ago
Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold defects to Erdogan's partyBlack Hills Pioneer27 hr. ago
Turkish opposition stronghold falls in Erdogan's hands as Izmir mayor defectsThe Times of IndiaIndia34 hr. ago
Mayor of Izmir defects to Erdogan partyKuwait Times29 hr. ago
Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold defects to Erdogan partyThe News PakistanPakistan26 hr. ago

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the Guardian

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Language: English

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Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold defects to Erdoğan’s party amid political crackdown

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Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

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Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

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