Report: İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay to join AK Party next week

Tugay, who resigned from the CHP in June, had previously said he would remain independent.

The Turkiye Times Editorial DeskOctober 03, 2026, 03:47 PMUpdated: October 03, 2026, 10:05 PM

Report: İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay to join AK Party next week

İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay will join the ruling AK Party at its parliamentary group meeting next week, A Haber reported, with journalist Zafer Şahin pointing to October 7 or 8. Tugay resigned from the CHP in June and met President Erdoğan on September 30, but had earlier said he would remain independent. There was no official comment from Tugay on the latest claim.

According to Mustafa Balcı of the Sözcü newspaper, Tugay will join the AK Party on October 7 at the party's parliamentary group meeting, where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will pin the party badge on him. Balcı reported that Tugay switched off his phone and asked his advisers to tell callers that he was abroad, adding that two more district municipalities in İzmir are expected to join the AK Party the same day. Neither Tugay nor the AK Party has made an official statement.

İzmir (archive)