CHP's Tuzla Mayor Eren Ali Bingöl Switches to AKP, Receives Badge from Erdoğan

Eren Ali Bingöl, mayor of Tuzla from the CHP, resigned from his party and joined the AKP. According to a report by Sözcü newspaper, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally pinned the AKP badge on Bingöl.

In a statement posted on his social media account, Bingöl emphasized that the crux of his decision was not political interest but Tuzla's future. 'I refuse to silently watch 50,000 people face the risk of homelessness and take shelter behind concepts of party discipline and loyalty,' he said, adding that solving the problem required 'working on the same platform as the decision-making authority.'

Former CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu recalled that Bingöl had served as district chair during her tenure and said 'the real problem was that people like this — with no ideology, no convictions, no integrity — could find a place in a social democratic party,' adding 'for my part, mea culpa.'

Bingöl's switch marked the first concrete link in the chain of municipal mayor transfers occurring ahead of the AKP's 14 August founding anniversary.