Turkey: A Land of Stunning Coastlines and Jailed Dissidents...

Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay became the latest opposition mayor to defect to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP). The move marks him as the most consequential local official to switch sides in recent months.

The development comes amid ongoing consolidation of power by the ruling AKP in Turkish municipal politics.