İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay Resigns, Fueling Wider CHP Power Struggle

İzmir Büyükşehir Belediye Başkanı Cemil Tugay announced his resignation from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) after the party’s 38th Ordinary Congress was annulled by a court (“mutlak butlan”). Tugay said the series of dismissals of local party officials made continued membership untenable.

Following the court decision, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu appeared on Sözcü TV, defending the party’s position, arguing that a caretaker would be appointed only if the court’s ruling stood, and reiterating his call for internal “purification.” CHP lawyer Gül Çiftci sharply criticized Kılıçdaroğlu’s remarks, accusing him of ignoring the presumption of innocence and calling some of his statements “the most dangerous sentences.”

Party insiders, including Özgür Özel, disclosed preparations for a new party and predicted a wave of resignations among district mayors, beginning with officials in Bornova, Bayraklı and Torbalı. Parallel reports described similar factional disputes in Gaziantep, Didim and other locales, with local leaders rejecting central directives and vowing to continue the struggle under Özel’s leadership.

The episode has turned into a broader intra‑party conflict, with accusations of back‑room negotiations, alleged judicial interference, and public challenges to party authority.