The mayor of the central province of Niğde, Faruk Akdoğan resigned yesterday amid the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) ongoing bid to renew its cadres. He is the third mayor from the party to step down in two months.

Kadir Topbaş, the mayor of the country's most populated city, Istanbul, was the first to step down after serving multiple terms, and earlier this month, Mehmet Keleş, the mayor of the northern province of Düzce, also submitted his resignation.

In the 15 years it has been in power, the AK Party has seen a number of changes in its ruling cadres before and after the multiple elections it won, but it is the first time that a number of mayors have offered their resignations in such a short period of time.

In a landmark speech last summer, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that there was "metal fatigue" within the AK Party and took up the task of rejuvenating it.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Akdoğan said he resigned "out of necessity" without elaborating and added that he would continue serving the AK Party.