A major 'U-turn' in politics: Voters chose the opposition, they ran to the AKP!

Following the March 31 local elections, notable party shifts have occurred in politics. A total of 79 mayors and 14 members of parliament from various parties have joined the ranks of the AKP. While the New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah Partisi) topped the list for mayoral defections, the highest number of parliamentary transfers came from the IYI Party.

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A major 'U-turn' in politics: Voters chose the opposition, they ran to the AKP!

Following the March 31 local elections, transitions between political parties have accelerated. A total of 79 mayors and 14 members of parliament from different political parties and independent backgrounds have joined the AKP.

The highest number of defections in local government came from the New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah Partisi), led by Fatih Erbakan. In terms of parliamentary transfers, the most significant movement occurred from the IYI Party front.

HIGHEST NUMBER OF DEFECTIONS FROM THE NEW WELFARE PARTY

The distribution of mayors who joined the AKP is as follows:

New Welfare Party: 33 mayors

Republican People's Party (CHP): 17 mayors

Independent: 16 mayors

IYI Party: 8 mayors

DEVA Party: 2 mayors

Democrat Party: 2 mayors

Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi): 1 mayor

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT WHO JOINED THE AKP

It was stated that the number of members of parliament who joined the AKP following the May 14, 2023 General Elections reached 14 as of the beginning of 2026.

The members of parliament who switched to the AKP consist of the following names:

İdris Nebi Hatipoğlu

Seyithan İzsiz

Ahmet Ersagun Yücel

Dursun Ataş

Kürşad Zorlu

Mehmet Selim Ensarioğlu

Ünal Karaman

All of these individuals previously engaged in politics within the IYI Party.