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Turkey: 'Either you join Erdoğan's party or go to prison'
🇦🇹 Austria /Crime & Justice

Turkey: 'Either you join Erdoğan's party or go to prison'

From Die Presse · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A Turkish opposition mayor, Eren Ali Bingöl, switched to President Erdoğan's AKP party, citing criticism of Istanbul's CHP-led administration.
  • Opposition leader Özgür Özel claims Bingöl was blackmailed, facing imprisonment if he refused to join the AKP.
  • This defection follows a trend of opposition politicians joining the AKP amid investigations and trials against opposition figures.

Eren Ali Bingöl, a 33-year-old mayor of the industrial city of Tuzla, has switched his political allegiance from the opposition CHP party to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling AKP. Bingöl, who joined the CHP at 18 and was elected mayor two years ago, officially cited criticism of Istanbul's CHP-led metropolitan municipality for his move.

Bingöl has me called and cried. They told him: ‘Either you go to prison, or you go to the AKP.’

— Özgür ÖzelOpposition leader Özgür Özel told the news portal T24, explaining the alleged coercion behind Mayor Eren Ali Bingöl's party switch.

However, opposition leader Özgür Özel alleges that Bingöl was coerced. "Bingöl called me and cried," Özel told the news portal T24. "They told him: 'Either you go to prison, or you go to the AKP.'" Özel stated that Bingöl, a newlywed with a young child, felt compelled to switch parties due to this alleged pressure.

Bingöl's defection is part of a broader pattern in Turkish politics where opposition figures have recently joined the AKP. Last week alone, Erdoğan welcomed five Istanbul council members into the party, including Bingöl. Such transfers can be politically advantageous; for instance, the mayor of Aydın, Özlem Çerçioğlu, saw investigations into alleged abuse of office dropped after joining the AKP.

The current movement from the opposition ranks to the AKP is unusual because it is accompanied by a wave of investigations and trials against opposition politicians.

— Die PresseThe article notes the context of ongoing legal actions against opposition figures coinciding with party defections.

This wave of defections from opposition ranks to the AKP is particularly notable as it coincides with a surge in investigations and trials targeting opposition politicians. More than two dozen opposition mayors are currently imprisoned, primarily on corruption charges. Critics of Erdoğan argue these are politically motivated proceedings, pointing out the lack of similar legal action against AKP politicians. Erdoğan, conversely, attributes the defections to the AKP's growing appeal and the opposition's perceived disarray. The AKP, already Turkey's largest party with nearly 12 million members, controls the state apparatus, judiciary, and most media outlets.

Erdoğan says the reason for the defections is solely the attractiveness of the AKP.

— Die PresseReporting on President Erdoğan's stated reason for the increase in party membership from opposition ranks.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Die Presse in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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