The number of municipalities that have switched to the AKP since March 31 has drawn attention! It took at the table what it lost at the ballot box

In the March 31, 2024 Local Elections, the ruling AKP party fell to the position of the second party nationwide for the first time since its founding. The CHP, meanwhile, became Turkey's leading party for the first time since 1977 with 37.81 percent of the vote.

Following the elections, many mayors from various parties resigned and joined the AKP.

According to a report by the pro-government newspaper Türkiye Gazetesi, a total of 56 mayors from the CHP, DEM, IYI Party, New Welfare Party, Felicity Party, DEVA, and independent candidates have transferred to the AKP, disregarding the will of the people.

56 MAYORS IN THE AKP

Among those who have switched to the AKP since the March 31 elections are 24 mayors from the New Welfare Party, 14 independents, seven from the CHP, seven from the IYI Party, one from the Felicity Party, one from the DEM Party, and one from the DEVA Party.

Recently, as the AKP celebrated its 24th anniversary, six more CHP mayors, two IYI Party mayors, and one independent mayor joined the party. A year ago, on the party's 23rd birthday, 13 mayors had also switched to the AKP.

WHICH MUNICIPALITIES SWITCHED TO THE AKP?

Transitions to the AKP took place from many different regions of the country. Mayors from Konya, Aydın, Ordu, Samsun, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Trabzon, Manisa, Yalova, Çanakkale, Isparta, Aksaray, Kastamonu, Batman, Elâzığ, Kütahya, Çankırı, Şırnak, Adıyaman, Erzincan, Muş, Ağrı, Bingöl, Kırşehir, Sivas, and Uşak joined the ranks of the AKP.

ETHICS DEBATE IN POLITICS

This process of joining, which began after the local elections, has not only shifted political balances but also brought debates with it. It was particularly notable that the names coming from the CHP included metropolitan mayors.

While AKP officials stated, "We are building strong teams that will respond to the public's demand for service," opposition parties reacted harshly to these transitions.