4 members defect to AKP before Üsküdar vote
Four council members attend a ceremony at the AKP’s Üsküdar district headquarters on Sept 4.
Four council members from Istanbul’s Üsküdar Municipality have defected from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), reshaping the balance of power in Üsküdar ahead of a key vote to elect the district’s acting mayor.
Ahmet Başbaydar, Ayhan Aydın, Hüseyin Kazan and Tahsin Usta announced their resignation from the CHP and formally joined the AKP at a ceremony held on Sept. 4 at the party’s Üsküdar district headquarters.
The defections leave the Üsküdar Municipal Council with 23 CHP members and 21 members representing the People’s Alliance, which comprises the AKP and its ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
