Mayor of Turkey's secular stronghold Izmir joins Erdogan's party
ANKARA, Oct 7 (Reuters) - The mayor of Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city and a bastion of its secular opposition, joined President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party (AKP) on Wednesday, giving it the mayoralty of a city it has never won at the ballot box. Cemil Tugay, elected mayor in 2024 as a candidate of the Republican People's Party (CHP) before quitting in June, formally joined the AKP at a ceremony headed by Erdogan in Ankara. Tugay won the March 2024 election with 49% of the vote, against 37% for the AKP candidate.
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