Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş announces he will leave CHP and continue as an independent

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş announced that he had resigned from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and would continue his political career as an independent. Yavaş said he made the decision after the political and legal process that began on March 19 and continued with debates over absolute nullity.

Scraper SystemSeptember 23, 2026, 03:27 PM

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş announces he will leave CHP and continue as an independent

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş announced in a statement on his social media account that he had resigned from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and would continue his political career as an independent.

Yavaş said political decisions should not be made out of anger or resentment, but only after careful consideration and with responsibility being assumed. He said he had made his decision in line with this understanding.

He said the process that began on March 19 and continued with various legal and political issues, including debates over absolute nullity, had brought politics in Türkiye to a point that society was following with sorrow.

Yavaş said he had not engaged in conduct that would humiliate the CHP or embarrass those who vote for the party. He added that he had sought to maintain an approach to municipal administration in Ankara that was transparent, accountable and free of discrimination. He stressed that public money must continue to be used for the public.

ABB Başkanı Mansur Yavaş, CHP'den ayrılıp bağımsız siyasete devam edeceğini açıkladı

Yavaş said he had never regarded himself as being above political parties and considered any such claim presumptuous. He said a change of government through democratic means could be achieved not by the opposition exhausting one another, but by coming together around shared principles.

Yavaş said he had previously warned that the months-long disputes, particularly the process centered on absolute nullity, could cause a deep rift within the CHP. He added that this could harm not only the CHP but also hope for democratic politics in Türkiye.

Yavaş recalled that he had previously said he would take the necessary action if there was any dissatisfaction within the party with him or with the position he had adopted. He thanked those with whom he had stood for election three times under the CHP banner, as well as those who had supported him and stood by him during election campaigns.

Yavaş said voters’ trust in politics and politicians had been seriously damaged and that responsibility for this should be sought among politicians, not voters. He said voters cast their ballots not only for a name but also for a political will, adding that he did not consider it right to disregard the voters’ will or to transfer offices won through votes to political destinations that voters had not approved.

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş announces he will leave CHP and continue as an independent