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[POLITICS] · Türkiye · 34 sources

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AK Parti gains nine municipal mayors from opposition parties

During the AK Parti 182nd Expanded Provincial Chairmen's Meeting in Ankara, nine municipal mayors from various opposition parties officially joined the AK Parti. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented party badges to the new members.

The defectors include five mayors from the CHP: Onur Emrah Yıldız (Çiğli, İzmir), Vahap Akay (Çerkezköy, Tekirdağ), Aydın Dinçer (Marmara Islands, Balıkesir), Halil Öztürk (Elmalı, Antalya), and Görbil Özcan (Şenkaya, Erzurum). Additionally, three mayors from the Yeniden Refah Partisi joined: Mehmet Akpınar (Dulkadiroğlu, Kahramanmaraş), Mehmet Karaca (Türkoğlu, Kahramanmaraş), and Muhammet Septioğlu (Palu, Elazığ). One mayor from the İYİ Parti, Bora Karakullukçu (Koyulhisar, Sivas), also joined the party.

The political shifts have drawn sharp criticism from opposition members. Representatives from the CHP and Yeniden Refah Partisi accused the mayors of betraying the voters' will and treating elected mandates as personal political capital. In response to the influx, President Erdoğan emphasized the importance of party discipline, stating that the party would part ways with those who succumb to personal interests or act against the movement's mission.

Entities

AK Parti · AK Party · CHP · Mehmet Akpınar · Onur Emrah Yıldız · Recep Tayyip Erdoğan · Yeniden Refah Partisi · Çiğli · İYİ Parti

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