Tugay took office as mayor in April 2024 after the centre-left Republican People's Party (CHP) won a resounding victory in local elections. However, he resigned from the CHP in June following a controversial court ruling that replaced the party leadership. He had previously vowed in January that he would never join the AKP, saying his mother would disown him and his wife would leave him if he did.
Erdogan announced the defection at a live-broadcast parliamentary group meeting, saying: "I welcome Izmir mayor Cemil Tugay, who is today joining the AKP family." The scene drew anger from residents. Kadir Öztürk, 52, told reporters: "If I were his mother, I wouldn't be able to show my face in public. His wife should divorce him. A person needs a backbone."
The defection is a significant coup for Erdogan, ending social democratic control of Izmir since 1999, though opposition parties retain a majority on the city council. According to the independent Diken news website, six CHP provincial mayors and 29 district mayors have been arrested, including Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The Medyascope website reported that at least 17 opposition mayors had switched to the AKP before Tugay.
Political analyst Berk Esen said the defections were not ideological but driven by fear. "This is a continuation of AKP's strategy to reverse its major defeat in the 2024 local elections through force and repression," he added.
CHP's former leader, Özgür Özel, who now leads the newly founded Yeni party, spoke of a campaign of pressure, threats and blackmail. "Those who do not bow to this pressure will remain our brothers until the day they die. But those who sell out and leave are traitors," he said.