Mayor of Türkiye’s capital resigns from opposition party

Mansur Yavaş, Mayor of Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, has resigned from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

In a statement posted on social media, Yavaş said: “I am resigning from my membership in the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and submit to the public that I will continue my political path as an independent,” Caliber.Az reports.

Sevgili Hemşehrilerim,
Siyasette bazı kararlar vardır; öfkeyle alınmaz, kırgınlıkla açıklanmaz. Uzun uzun düşünülür, vicdanla tartılır, sorumluluğu üstlenilir ve sonunda Türk milletinin huzurunda açıkça ifade edilir.

Bugün aldığım karar da böyle bir karardır.

19 Mart’la…

— Mansur Yavaş (@mansuryavas06) September 23, 2026

Yavaş noted that political decisions were not made out of anger or resentment, but after careful consideration, weighing them with a clear conscience and accepting responsibility for them.

He stressed that his decision was also of this nature, adding that the process that began on March 19 and continued with various legal and political debates, including discussions over the possibility of declaring certain proceedings legally null and void, had brought Turkish politics to a point that everyone was following with regret.

In his words, he had never engaged in conduct that would humiliate the CHP or cause those who voted for it to feel embarrassed. On the contrary, he said they had sought to demonstrate in Ankara how municipal governance could be carried out without discrimination, transparently and accountably, while using public money for the benefit of the public.

Turkish politician made clear that he had never considered himself above political parties and regarded such a claim as presumptuous.

According to him, if a change of government is to take place through democratic means in Türkiye, this should be achieved not by the opposition exhausting one another, but by coming together around common principles.

Yavaş said he had repeatedly warned that months of disputes, particularly the process centred on the issue of declaring certain proceedings legally null and void, could cause a deep split within the CHP and harm not only the party but also hopes for democratic politics in Türkiye.

“Citizens’ trust in politics and politicians has been severely damaged. We must look for responsibility in ourselves, not in the voters. When people go to the ballot box, they vote not only for a name but also for a political will. Therefore, I did not and do not consider it right to disregard the will of voters or to transfer offices obtained through their votes to political destinations that they have not approved,” he wrote.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov