Five Eskişehir Mayors Join NEW Party, Shrinking CHP's Local Power

A significant political shift has occurred in Eskişehir, Turkey, as five municipal mayors have officially joined the NEW Party. This move dramatically alters the political landscape, leaving the Republican People's Party (CHP) with only one remaining municipality in the province.

The badge-pinning ceremony, held at the NEW Party's Eskişehir Provincial Directorate, saw the mayors of Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, Tepebaşı, Çifteler, Seyitgazi, and Alpu officially welcomed into the party. This follows a wave of defections last week, where the mayors of Odunpazarı, Mahmudiye, and Beylikova also left the CHP for the NEW Party.

Utku Çakırözer, Deputy Chairman of the NEW Party and Eskişehir Deputy, highlighted the party's rapid growth, stating that its membership has now exceeded 400,000. He described the situation as a "revolution" and emphasized the party's grassroots nature, built and funded by the people. Çakırözer urged citizens to join the NEW Party, encouraging them to participate in electing local and national leadership by August 26.

Çakırözer expressed gratitude to the party leader for enabling this democratic process and predicted that this momentum would spread across all 81 provinces of Turkey, fostering an atmosphere of celebration and a drive towards governance. The mass defections signal a major challenge to the established political order in the region.