08.02.2026 21:50
After making serious allegations against CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan, who resigned from the CHP, responded to the question "Will you join the AK Party?" during a television program. Özarslan replied, "We will see, it could be the AK Party or the MHP, I don't know. Maybe we can serve independently, I don't know."
CHP member Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan announced his resignation from the CHP through a statement on his social media account.
Özarslan's statement drew attention with the phrases, "Can a party leader insult a mayor? Can a party leader target family values and insult? Can a party leader threaten with words that cannot be uttered?"
"CAN A PARTY LEADER INSULT A MAYOR?"
One of the striking points in Özarslan's statement was the expressions he used towards CHP Chairman Özgür Özel. Özarslan stated, "I ask; Can a party leader insult a mayor? Can a party leader target family values and insult? Can a party leader threaten with words that cannot be uttered? Especially in the face of messages where my family values and my sacred existence, my mother and late father, are even mixed up;
As long as my respect and love for the voters of the Republican People's Party remain, it is out of the question for me to serve in the ranks of the Republican People's Party. Although my only priority is to serve Keçiören, I have come to the conclusion that it is not possible for me to perform my duties in a healthy way in an environment dominated by the style and understanding present in the messages."
RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION "WILL YOU JOIN THE AK PARTY?"
While Özarslan's resignation stirred politics; Özarslan made new statements during a live broadcast on CNN Türk. In response to the question, "Will you join the AK Party?" Özarslan said, "There is no such situation at the moment. We will see, it could be the AK Party or the MHP, I don't know. Maybe we can serve independently, I don't know. This is not our topic. If Özgür Özel is a man, he will respond. If he is a man, he will deny it."
SUCCESSIVE RESIGNATIONS
Furthermore, following Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan's resignation, Keçiören Municipality Council Member Azra Ceylan Öztürk, Keçiören Deputy Mayor and Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Council Member Serkan Bedirhanoğlu, and Keçiören Municipality Council Member Cihan Ayhan also announced their resignations from the CHP.
RESPONSE FROM MANSUR YAVAŞ
On the other hand, Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş, in his first statement after Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan's resignation from the CHP, said, "This decision is absolutely unacceptable. Politics is temporary; positions come and go. But there are some decisions that are etched in memory."
RUMORS ABOUT JOINING THE AK PARTY
Additionally, claims that Özarslan would join the AK Party were being discussed in the corridors. Journalist Sinan Burhan stated that Mesut Özarslan, who was elected as the Mayor of Keçiören from the Republican People's Party, would join the AK Party, saying, "It seems certain that Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan will join the AK Party."
Regarding the same claim, AK Party member Savcı Sayan also made a statement, confirming the transfer rumors and sharing the date Özarslan would join the AK Party. Sayan said, "My source is as strong as steel. Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan will be with us in the AK Party on Wednesday. Three strong figures have convinced our President."