Ankara District Mayor Resigns From CHP Party
A district mayor in Ankara has resigned from the main opposition CHP party. The move has prompted speculation that the mayor is planning to join another political party. The specific reasons for the resignation have not been publicly disclosed.
- The mayor in question is Mesut Özarslan of Keçiören, Ankara's most populous district. His victory in the March 2024 local elections was significant as it was the first time the CHP had won the district in 35 years. - Özarslan has publicly accused CHP party leader Özgür Özel of sending him WhatsApp messages containing "insults, threats and slander." In response, Özel admitted to sending harsh messages but denied insulting Özarslan's family, stating he felt betrayed after defending the mayor against corruption allegations. - CHP officials allege Özarslan's resignation is a move to evade five criminal complaints and that he had been in talks to join the ruling AK Party in exchange for the dismissal of these corruption files. - This resignation is part of a larger trend of opposition mayors defecting to the ruling AKP. Since the March 2024 local elections, 30 mayors have left the CHP. In August 2025, nine opposition mayors, six from the CHP, joined the AKP in a public ceremony. - Following Özarslan's departure, several CHP municipal council members in Keçiören also resigned from the party, including Serkan Bedirhanoğlu, Cihan Ayhan, and Azra Ceylan Öztürk. This collective move threatens the CHP's majority in the Keçiören municipal council. - Before joining the CHP, Özarslan was a member of the nationalist İYİ (Good) Party, which he resigned from in December 2023. He has stated he will continue his duties as an independent mayor for now. - Ankara's metropolitan mayor, Mansur Yavaş, a prominent CHP figure, condemned the resignation, stating it "casts a shadow on the will of the people of Keçiören." Some analysts view the wave of defections as a strategy by the ruling party to weaken and isolate Yavaş.
