 have resigned within a span two days, exposing internal strains as the party struggles to recover from major local election losses it sustained last year, the Sözcü daily reported.){kind=link}
Eight provincial chairmen from Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have resigned within a span two days, exposing internal strains as the party struggles to recover from major local election losses it sustained last year, the Sözcü daily reported.
Resignations came from Muğla, Çanakkale, Adıyaman, Niğde, Tunceli, Bitlis, Elazığ and Ordu. AKP headquarters confirmed the departures in a statement Friday, saying work in the provinces had fallen short of expectations and that new chairmen would soon be named.
Some departures took place under unusual circumstances. Elazığ chief Şerafettin Yıldırım resigned after publicly accusing rivals of circulating a video showing his son allegedly using drugs. Others, party insiders told Sözcü, were asked to step down over complaints that local branches had failed to connect with voters, especially young people, and did not address economic hardship, leaving the party “absent on the ground.”
The shakeup follows the AKP’s worst local election defeat in its history, when it fell to second place nationwide in March 2024, losing ground in both major cities and rural strongholds. The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) emerged as the largest party for the first time in 47 years.
The pro-government Sabah daily reported Monday that the AKP has launched a review of all provincial branches, with findings to be presented to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. New chairmen are expected to be chosen through interviews before a party meeting in early October. The AKP has not commented on the report.
CHP defections mount amid crackdown
While the AKP faced resignations, the CHP has grappled with defections as a growing number of its officials cross over to the ruling party.
At least eight CHP mayors and local chairmen have joined the AKP since the March 2024 elections, according to the Sol Haber news website. They include mayors from Aydın, Gaziantep, Konya’s Seydişehir and Yalova, as well as local officials from İstanbul’s Beykoz district. More defections are expected in the coming weeks, political sources told the outlet.
In some cases, CHP mayors who won towns in March 2024 handed control of their municipalities to the AKP after switching sides, effectively flipping power without another vote. CHP officials describe the trend as a troubling wave that could grow.
The CHP has accused the ruling party of using threats and coercion to lure opposition figures, pointing to a government crackdown that has intensified over the past year.
Seventeen CHP mayors and dozens of officials, including İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, have been arrested. İmamoğlu, widely seen as Erdoğan’s strongest political rival and the CHP’s likely presidential candidate for 2028, was arrested in March on corruption charges critics say were politically motivated. His arrest triggered Turkey’s largest protests since 2013.
Since October 2024 police operations have targeted CHP-run municipalities across the country, leading to hundreds of detentions and dozens of arrests.