Mayor’s Resignation Deals Fresh Blow to Turkey’s Fragmented Opposition

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas’ resignation from the Republican People’s Party, CHP, has further fragmented Turkey’s opposition, leaving open the political future of one of the few figures who polls suggest could mount a strong challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Yavas on September 23 announced that he was leaving the CHP following months of turmoil that have split the party between the leadership, restored to Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and the New Party, Turkey’s new main opposition party, established by former CHP leader Ozgur Ozel. “I am resigning my membership of the CHP and will continue my political path as an independent,” Yavas said, adding that the decision followed a period of legal and political disputes that had deeply divided the opposition. The decision leaves Yavas outside both major camps that emerged from the CHP’s crisis. It also raises a larger question for an already fractured opposition: whether the Ankara Mayor is gradually withdrawing from national politics – or positioning himself as an independent figure who could eventually unite different opposition constituencies. Subscribe to Balkan Insight Premium to read the full article. Please login to your account below if you are already a Premium Subscriber. Buy Premium Subscription Our Premium Service gives you full access to all content published on BalkanInsight.com, including analyses, investigations, comments, interviews and more. Choose your subscription today and get unparalleled in-depth coverage of the Southern and Eastern Europe. Buy Premium Subscription If you have trouble logging in or any other questions regarding you account, please contact us