Özlem Çerçioğlu, who joined the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Thursday, explained that her party ostracized her when she stood against corruption.
Çerçioğlu, mayor of Aydın province in western Türkiye, was among six mayors who switched to the ruling party during the latter’s anniversary ceremony in Ankara. She is the most high-profile name from the CHP to join the AK Party in recent years. Before and after her move, Çerçioğlu was the target of a campaign on social media by CHP supporters accusing her of betrayal, while the CHP’s chair, Özgür Özel, repeatedly mocked her in his speeches.
Speaking to Yavuz Donat of the Sabah newspaper, Çerçioğlu said she fell out with her party when Özel ignored her pleas to stop what she called a scheme of corruption in Aydın. In remarks published on Sunday, Çerçioğlu said the campaign began when she disapproved a change in zoning plans in Aydın approved by the municipal assembly of Aydın’s popular vacation district, Kuşadası.
“It came before our municipality in June 2024. The zoning plan covered an area of 575 football fields, but it was totally against regulations and included substantial changes to accommodate more construction for an area of 60,000 square meters. The plan included conversion of green spaces to residential areas and this would lead to an unearned income of at least TL 6 billion,” she explained.
Çerçioğlu said she took the matter to CHP Chair Özgür Özel, and he listened to her concerns but did not respond. She claimed that she faced a barrage of insults on social media after speaking to Özel, and for months, CHP headquarters did not respond to her.
“During that period, I was exposed to insults, insults to my family, my four children. They tried to silence me,” she said.
Çerçioğlu said Özel himself openly defamed her, claiming she took bribes from a businessperson, noting that both the prosecutor’s office in Aydın and the Court of Accounts, which was inspecting municipalities, ruled for non-prosecution for her in that case.
