13.10.2026 00:12
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay, who joined the AK Party, responded to CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who criticized him over the 'poll' debates. Stating that he had met with Kılıçdaroğlu a total of 22 times in the past and that in none of these meetings had he encountered any criticism directed at him, Tugay asked, 'I am astonished by the statements made. Would they have criticized me this harshly if I had remained in the CHP?'
Political debates that began when İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay joined the AK Party gained a new dimension with mutual statements regarding the polls allegedly conducted during the candidacy process.
After CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said that no such poll was found in the party archive, Tugay spoke to journalist Sinan Burhan and recalled his past meetings with Kılıçdaroğlu.
"WE MET 22 TIMES, HE NEVER COMPLAINED EVEN ONCE"
Recalling that he often met with Kılıçdaroğlu during his term as Mayor of Karşıyaka, Tugay drew attention to the fact that the criticism against him came to the agenda after his party change.
Tugay said: "During my term as Mayor of Karşıyaka, I met with Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu 20 times. In none of these meetings did he complain to me or criticize me. After I was elected Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, I met with him 2 more times. Even in these meetings, he did not complain about me even once."
"IF I HAD STAYED IN THE CHP, WOULD THEY HAVE CRITICIZED ME THIS HARSHLY?"
Expressing that he was surprised by Kılıçdaroğlu's latest statements, Tugay questioned the timing of the criticism directed at him.
Tugay responded to the reactions from his former party by saying, "I am astonished by the statements made today. If I had stayed in the CHP, would they have criticized me this harshly?"
WHAT HAPPENED?
CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, addressing the claims that a poll was conducted during Cemil Tugay's candidacy process for İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and that a decision was made according to the results, had said that no such poll existed.
Kılıçdaroğlu had said, "So we conducted a poll, and he came first. There is no such thing at all. There is no poll in the party archive either. We checked whether there was anything about Mr. Cemil or not. Such polls are out of the question."
New Party Chairman Özgür Özel, who reacted to Kılıçdaroğlu's aforementioned statement, had said, "I have never heard a lie that made me feel this ashamed in my life."