Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay, who left the opposition Republican People's Party , or CHP, in June, formally joined the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, in a ceremony at the party's headquarters in Ankara, bringing Turkey's third-largest city under the AKP's rule, AP reported on Oct. 7. The city's municipal assembly remains under the control of the opposition New Party, which defected from the CHP earlier in 2026.