The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its ally gained a majority in Istanbul’s Bahçelievler Municipal Council after three councilors from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) joined the AK Party on Thursday, marking the latest defections from the opposition.
CHP councilors Cem Şafak, Barış Ural and Levent Arısüt formally joined the AK Party during a membership ceremony organized by the party’s Bahçelievler district branch.
The defections reduced the CHP’s representation in the municipal council from 25 to 22 seats, while the People’s Alliance, led by the AK Party, increased its number of seats from 20 to 23, giving the alliance a majority in the council.
Parliament’s Justice Commission Chair and AK Party Istanbul lawmaker Cüneyt Yüksel, AK Party Istanbul provincial chair Abdullah Özdemir and Bahçelievler Mayor Hakan Bahadır attended the ceremony, where the three councilors were presented with AK Party badges.
Yüksel described the defections as part of a broader political shift, saying Türkiye needed greater dialogue and a wider common ground as it entered a new period.
