Politician resigns from Erdoğan’s ruling party over intensifying crackdown on opposition

A city council member in a district of İstanbul has resigned from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), citing what he called increasing pressure on the opposition, according to a report in the Nefes daily.

“In recent days, the heavy pressure on the opposition has been increasing, and I see no sign of improvement,” Ekrem Baki, a city council member in İstanbul’s Üsküdar district, said during a council meeting on Monday.

“My understanding of law and politics does not align with this, so I am resigning from the AKP,” he added.

Baki will continue to serve on the city council as an independent.

Following his announcement, members of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on the council applauded, while Turks observing the session chanted, “Rights, law, justice.”

Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş, who chaired the session, acknowledged that people were showing appreciation for Baki’s decision amid what she described as an “unjust and lawless” political climate but reminded the public to refrain from disrupting the session. She congratulated Baki on his decision, expressing hope that it would prove beneficial both for him and the country.

AKP council member Vefa Yunus Taylan said Baki should have also resigned from his council seat, noting that he was elected with AKP votes, but added that he respected his decision.

The decision of Baki, one of the first AKP officials to resign over concerns about pressure on the opposition, comes amid a widening crackdown on opposition-led municipalities, particularly in İstanbul, where President Erdoğan’s main rival, Ekrem İmamoğlu, has been jailed since March.

İmamoğlu, who defeated Erdoğan’s party in two consecutive mayoral elections, was detained on March 19, the same day he was nominated as the opposition’s presidential candidate for 2028. His detention on corruption charges — widely seen as politically motivated — triggered mass protests across the country.

In recent weeks, dozens of municipal officials from CHP-run districts have been detained in a series of police raids over alleged corruption, including senior figures from İstanbul’s city government and district municipalities.

CHP officials say the government is using the judiciary to punish electoral losses and weaken opposition control in major cities. Critics view the crackdown as an effort to sideline İmamoğlu and erode the political momentum gained by the opposition in the 2024 local elections.