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Euronews
Euronews
Sait Burak Utucu

İzmir's centre-left mayor joins Erdoğan's AK Party, shocking Turkish opposition

İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay joined President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's AK Party on Wednesday, shocking the Turkish left and handing the ruling party a symbolic prize it has failed to win in elections three times in a row.

Erdoğan presented Tugay — who ran for mayor as centre-left CHP party candidate two years ago — with an AK Party badge at the party's Ankara headquarters on Wednesday morning and welcomed him in a speech to MPs at the opening of the legislative year.

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