The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its ally in the People’s Alliance, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) proved they are still a force to reckon with as the country went to by-elections in several neighborhoods and "beldes” (small districts). Despite its last-minute campaigning, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which relied on its belief that people were fed up with the current government, lost to the alliance, securing only one mayoral seat out of six.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the party's victory as he addressed a crowd of supporters via phone link at Mustafapaşa, a newly created belde in central province of Nevşehir.

"People’s Alliance won four seats and MHP won another one. This is a great victory we achieved together. I send my greetings and love to all brothers and sisters who devoted themselves to this cause. We hope this success will continue,” he said. Mustafa Özer, AK Party candidate for Mustafapaşa mayor secured 876 of 1,695 votes according to unofficial results while CHP followed it with 378 votes and Bliss Party (SP) won 259 votes.

Out of six beldes in Nevşehir and provinces of Tokat and Gümüşhane, CHP only won the mayoral seat in Çevrecik of Tokat. Even there, it surpassed AK Party only with 74 votes.

Ali Ihsan Yavuz, deputy chair of AK Party in charge of electoral affairs, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday that the election results were testament to the popularity of AK Party and President Erdoğan. He said that compared to the 2024 municipal elections, the by-election indicated that the nation was still supportive of their party and the People’s Alliance. AK Party has lost several of its strongholds, including Ankara for the first time in decades, in the 2024 elections. "Unofficial results show the AK Party won 94% of the vote in Tokat’s Bağtaşı belde and it is extraordinary compared to past elections held in Tokat. Similarly, the vote in Yolüstü belde is about 82%. In Tokat’s Kuşçu, we backed the MHP’s candidate and they won around 60% of the vote. Elections in Mustafapaşa were critical for us, and there, the AK Party won 52% of the vote. Similarly, in Gümüşhane’s Tekke, unofficial results show a 65% rate,” he said.

Yavuz stated that the outcome was particularly interesting in Çevrecik where CHP won. "Compared top ast elections, we increased our votes five-fold,” he said.

The by-election was a test for the opposition as well as CHP, which counts on forcing the government to reschedule the 2028 vote to an earlier date to end AK Party’s decades-old streak of wins in general elections. Özgür Özel, who was ousted from chairmanship of CHP, campaigned in the by-election constituencies days before the vote, seeking to rally party’s supporters. Özel, who was replaced by his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, bypassed Kılıçdaroğlu for the campaign, though his only title in the party is parliamentary group chair. Still, he managed to attract crowds in the constituencies he visited. In his speeches, Özel portrayed the by-election as one step toward his party’s "march to power,” firmly believing that the CHP may end its unlucky streak under his leadership, which has been dubious after a court ruled that the intra-party election he won in 2023 was stained with vote-buying allegations.