# İzmir Mayor Joins Erdoğan's AK Party

> Turkey's center-left mayor joins ruling party, shocking opposition.
- Title: İzmir Mayor Joins Erdoğan's AK Party · euronews | Shortify
- Summary: Turkey's center-left mayor joins ruling party, shocking opposition. İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay switched from CHP to AK Party, ending 27 years of left-wing…
- Keywords: cemil tugay, ak party, recep tayyip erdoğan, izmir, chp, turkey, mayor, political switch, news, world, politics, İzmir
- Source: euronews — https://euronews.com/2026/10/07/izmirs-centre-left-mayor-joins-erdogans-ak-party-shocking-turkish-opposition
- Author: Sait Burak Utucu
- Published: 2026-10-07T10:12:10+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: cemil tugay, ak party, recep tayyip erdoğan, izmir, chp, turkey, mayor, political switch, news, world, politics
## Tugay joins AK Party
İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay joined President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's AK Party on Wednesday.
## Erdoğan welcomes Tugay
Erdoğan presented Tugay with an AK Party badge at Ankara headquarters and welcomed him in a speech to MPs.
## Tugay's past pledges
Tugay previously described joining the AK Party as 'not even a one-in-a-million chance' and reversed his pledge.

> not even a one-in-a-million chance
## Tugay's political history
Tugay joined CHP in 2010, became İzmir metropolitan mayor in 2024, and won 48.97% of votes in March 2024 elections.
## Tugay's threats and pressure
New Party leader Özgür Özel said Tugay faced threats, blackmail, and pressure to join AK Party.
## Tugay's current status
Tugay is now the first right-wing mayor of Turkey's third-largest city in 27 years, with AK Party holding 39 seats in city council.
## Key takeaway

İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay switched from CHP to AK Party, ending 27 years of left-wing mayors in the city.