Kemal Okuyan reacts to Cemil Tugay joining the AKP: Voter will has been trampled upon

Following İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay's decision to join the AKP, TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan has issued a reaction. Emphasizing that Tugay was elected as a CHP candidate, Okuyan stated that this transition cannot be explained away as a "personal choice."

Tugay, who resigned from the CHP on June 18 and had been serving as an independent for some time, joined the AKP after receiving his party pin from President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the AKP Group Meeting.

Okuyan stated that the mayor of Turkey's third-largest city moving from the main opposition party to the ruling party must be discussed from both political and ethical perspectives. Arguing that the support Tugay received was related more to the party he was nominated by than his personal identity, Okuyan said, "Cemil Tugay was not elected because he is Cemil Tugay, but because he was the CHP candidate."

Stating that his criticisms regarding the CHP are a separate matter, Okuyan emphasized the will of the voters in his statement. Okuyan said, "However, as a citizen, and as a citizen of İzmir, I must protest Cemil Tugay trampling upon the will of those who voted for the CHP, a party I have never voted for in my life."

Arguing that Tugay's future actions will not legitimize his decision to change parties, Okuyan reiterated his view that elected officials should vacate their positions if they leave the party they were elected from.

Recalling that they have previously stated that mayors or members of parliament should resign from their posts if they change parties, Okuyan described such political transfers as "pollution." Addressing the citizens living in İzmir at the end of his statement, Okuyan said, "İzmir must force Cemil Tugay, who claims to love İzmir very much, to resign."