09.04.2026 14:40
Since the transition of the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality to the AK Party, 64 municipalities have switched to the AK Party since the local elections held on March 31, 2024. Here is the resulting map...
In the local elections on March 31, 2024, 64 municipalities won by opposition parties were transferred to the AK Party after the elections.
Following the elections, the Ministry of Interior dismissed 11 metropolitan and provincial mayors due to terrorism and corruption investigations. Mayors in Hakkari, Mardin, Batman, Tunceli, Van, and Siirt, as well as the mayor of Halfeti district in Şanlıurfa, were arrested, and governors were appointed as trustees in their places.
The process later spread to western provinces. The mayor of Esenyurt, one of Istanbul's most populous districts, was arrested on charges of membership in a terrorist organization. Similar developments occurred in Şişli, and trustee practices were implemented in both districts.
NOTABLE DISMISSALS IN METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITIES
By March 2025, a new wave occurred in CHP-led metropolitan municipalities. Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Antalya Metropolitan Mayor Muhittin Böcek, Adana Metropolitan Mayor Zeydan Karalar, Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, and Bursa Metropolitan Mayor Mustafa Bozbey were dismissed. The management of these municipalities was transferred to deputy mayors elected from among the council members.
WAVE OF PARTY CHANGES IN MUNICIPALITIES
After the elections, not only dismissals but also party changes drew attention. A significant number of district and town mayors elected from different parties joined the AK Party during their term. According to data compiled by Doğruluk Payı, at least 64 mayors changed parties and joined the ranks of the AK Party during the process.
LASTLY, BURSA METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY TRANSFERRED TO AK PARTY
Following the arrest of Mustafa Bozbey, the Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate, in the election for deputy mayor held in Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, the only candidate from the AK Party, Şahin Biba, was elected in the third round. With this result, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, which the CHP won after 47 years, was transferred back to the AK Party.
MAYORS WHO HAVE JOINED THE AK PARTY SINCE THE ELECTION
Recently, among the mayors who have switched from the CHP to the AK Party are Aydın Metropolitan Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu, as well as the mayors of Söke, Yenipazar, and Sultanhisar districts in Aydın.
Additionally, the mayor of Altınova in Yalova and the deputy mayor of Beykoz in Istanbul also joined the AK Party.
In Istanbul, after the arrest and dismissal of Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe as part of operations against CHP municipalities, a deputy mayor election was held.
As a result of the majority of the ruling party in the Municipal Council, AK Party member Eray Karadeniz was elected as the deputy mayor of Gaziosmanpaşa.