Who is Kürşat Zorlu, who moved from the İYİ Party to the AK Party? Why did he resign? When did he join the AK Party?

İYİ Party Spokesperson and Ankara Deputy Kürşad Zorlu announced that he has resigned from his party. With Zorlu's resignation, the party's number of deputies fell to 29. The questions of who Kürşad Zorlu is, where he is from, and how old he is have become among the most searched topics on the internet. Here is what is known about Kürşad Zorlu.

WHY DID KÜRŞAT ZORLU RESIGN FROM THE İYİ PARTY?

Zorlu resigned from his party on January 2 with a statement he made on his social media account.

Zorlu stated with regret that he saw no possibility of moving forward in line with common goals at the point the party had reached. Stating that this situation pushed him to seek a new path, Zorlu expressed that his determination to serve his country would continue.

WHEN DID KÜRŞAT ZORLU JOIN THE AK PARTY?

Zorlu, who resigned from the İYİ Party on January 2, 2025, joined the AK Party on January 21, 2025. On the same day, his party badge was pinned by AK Party Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the AK Party's 8th Ordinary Ankara Provincial Congress.

WHO IS KÜRŞAD ZORLU?

Kürşad Zorlu was born on April 9, 1977, in the Yerköy district of Yozgat. After completing his primary, secondary, and high school education in Yerköy, he graduated from the Department of Public Administration at Selçuk University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences. His father, Bahri Zorlu, served as the Mayor of Yerköy from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) between 1994 and 2004.

Zorlu, who has conducted studies on the Turkic world, has worked as a columnist for the newspapers Yeniçağ, Vatan, and Habertürk. He joined the İYİ Party at the group meeting held in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on October 19, 2022, and was appointed as the İYİ Party Spokesperson and Chief Advisor to the Chairman on the same day. He held this position until May 3, 2024, and was subsequently appointed as the Head of Media Relations for the İYİ Party following the 3rd İYİ Party Ordinary Congress.

In his academic career, Zorlu, who holds the title of professor in the fields of political science and public administration, served as a member of the Ahi Research Center, the Employment Board, and the SME Project Management Board between 2011 and 2013. In November 2019, he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Bozok University. He has served as a professor at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University.

Zorlu, who resigned from the İYİ Party on January 2, 2025, joined the AK Party on January 21, 2025, and on the same day, his party badge was pinned by AK Party Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the AK Party's 8th Ordinary Ankara Provincial Congress.

Zorlu, who speaks English and Kazakh, is married and a father of three.