23.10.2026 17:54
Following Kadıköy Mayor Mesut Kösedağı, another municipality in Istanbul switched to the New Party. Maltepe Mayor Esin Köymen resigned from the CHP and joined the New Party. Köymen said, "In the face of changing conditions and social needs, opening new paths is also part of political responsibility. With this understanding, I would like to share with the public that I have resigned from the Republican People's Party, of which I have been a member for a quarter of a century, and joined the ranks of the NEW Party under the leadership of Mr. Özgür Özel."
Esin Köymen, who was elected Mayor of Maltepe in the 31 March 2024 Local Elections, resigned from the CHP and joined the New Party. In a statement on her social media account, Köymen said that she would continue to work for the people of Maltepe.
ESIN KÖYMEN JOINS THE NEW PARTY
Stating that she resigned from the Republican People’s Party, of which she had been a member for a quarter of a century, Köymen said, “Politics means taking responsibility toward society in line with the principles of equality, freedom, justice, and democracy, and holding the people’s will and the public interest above all else. In the face of changing conditions and social needs, opening new paths is also part of political responsibility. With this understanding, I would like to share with the public that I have resigned from the Republican People’s Party, of which I have been a member for a quarter of a century, and joined the ranks of the New Party under the leadership of Mr. Özgür Özel.”
“A NEW BEGINNING, A NEW HOPE, AND A NEW STRUGGLE”
Köymen said, “This decision is the result of a process in which I evaluated my past struggle, my political views, and my belief in the future together with my companions on this path. In my political journey from now on, I will continue to work for the people of Maltepe with commitment to democracy, secularism, the rule of law, labor, and the people’s will. Now, together with our companions with whom we set out on this path, it is time for a new beginning, a new hope, and a new struggle. A new path, a new excitement, with the same determination—may our path be clear.”
In the 2024 local elections, Köymen received 59.06 percent of the vote and became Maltepe’s first female mayor. Having served as chair of the board of directors of the Istanbul Metropolitan Branch of the Chamber of Architects of TMMOB in its 45th, 46th, and 47th terms, Köymen also contributed to the work of the Chamber of Architects through her research on architecture and urbanization policies, cultural heritage, mega projects, urban transformation, urban renewal, legal regulations on zoning legislation, and cultural heritage.