İsmail Saymaz reveals the names: The 9 mayors who will join the AKP today have been identified!
Journalist İsmail Saymaz listed the names of the 9 mayors who will join the AKP today and stated, "The AK Party is now transferring some members of parliament by guaranteeing their re-election in the next term, promising others offices in the party's executive level, and paying off the debts of others."
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The claim that CHP's Aydın Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu will join the AKP has become a major topic in politics. In addition to Çerçioğlu, it is alleged that the CHP mayors of Sultanhisar, Söke, and Yenipazar will also switch to the AKP.
AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that there would be new additions to the party, saying, "Let me see how many people from Aydın are here? Let me see Aydın, let me see Aydın."
CHP leader Özel reacted very harshly to Çerçioğlu, using the expressions, "Oh you 'heeled efe' (a reference to the local hero figure), those votes were cast for the CHP. Shame on you. May it be forbidden to you."
Journalist İsmail Saymaz provided the names of the 9 mayors who will join the AKP today (August 14, the anniversary of the AKP's founding). The names in question are as follows:
Özlem Çerçioğlu – Mayor of Aydın Metropolitan Municipality (CHP)
Mustafa İberya Arıkan – Mayor of Söke, Aydın (CHP)
Malik Ercan – Mayor of Yenipazar, Aydın (CHP)
Osman Yıldırımkaya – Mayor of Sultanhisar, Aydın (CHP)
Umut Yılmaz – Mayor of Şehitkamil, Gaziantep (CHP)
Yasemin Fazlaca – Mayor of Altınova, Yalova (CHP)
Mustafa Kodal – Mayor of Yalvaç, Isparta (İYİ Party)
İsmail Akpınar – Mayor of Yeşiltepe, Aksaray (İYİ Party)
Muammer Yanık – Mayor of Bozkurt, Kastamonu (Independent)
Participating in a Halk TV broadcast, Saymaz also said the following regarding the municipalities:
"The AK Party is now transferring some deputies by guaranteeing their re-election in the next term, some by promising them offices in the party's executive wing, and some by paying off their debts.
In local government, they are trying to win back places they could not secure at the ballot box by promising to flood municipalities they previously withheld budget from with money, and by intimidating others with investigations. However, this will not save the AK Party."