Ozlem Cercioglu and Nine Mayors Join Erdogan's AKP Amid Istanbul Mayor Detention and Kurdish Opposition Arrest

Ozlem Cercioglu, the mayor of Aydin and a member of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) since 2009, has joined President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) amid a broader crackdown on opposition figures. This development follows reports of the detention of an Istanbul district mayor over a corruption investigation. Additionally, nine other mayors from opposition and independent backgrounds formally joined the AKP during a ceremony marking the 24th anniversary of the party's founding, attended by Erdogan. In a related regional development, an Iraqi Kurdish opposition leader was taken into custody, with the party describing the arrest as politically motivated.