Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş resigned from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in an announcement on Wednesday, saying, “I am resigning my membership in the Republican People’s Party and will continue my political path as an independent.”
In a statement on social media, Yavaş said his decision to leave the CHP was not made out of anger or resentment but after careful consideration.
He noted political and legal disputes that began on March 19 and later included debate over the possible annulment of CHP party congresses had brought Turkish politics to a difficult point.
Yavaş said he had sought throughout his tenure to demonstrate a model of municipal governance in Ankara based on transparency, accountability and equal treatment, while using public funds for the benefit of residents.
He also said he had never viewed himself as being above political parties and argued that any democratic change of government in Türkiye would depend on opposition parties finding common ground rather than becoming consumed by internal disputes.
The mayor underlined that he had repeatedly warned that months of political and legal disputes within the CHP risked creating deep divisions in the party and could damage broader confidence in democratic politics.
“I had previously said that if there was discomfort within the party regarding me or the position I had taken, I would do what was necessary,” he said, adding, “Because of some statements made today, I am resigning my membership in the Republican People’s Party and will continue my political path as an independent.”
Yavaş also thanked CHP members and supporters who had worked alongside him during three election campaigns, saying he would remain grateful to those who had supported and placed their trust in him.
CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also commented on Yavaş’s decision to leave the party. “A resignation is a unilateral decision. It is his own political choice,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.
Moreover, CHP spokesperson Müslim Sarı responded to Yavaş’s resignation from the party, describing the decision as Yavaş’s own political choice.
“A resignation is a unilateral legal act. The mayor has therefore exercised his own will and clarified his political affiliation,” Sarı said.
Sarı said the CHP would have preferred Yavaş to continue his political career within the party, noting that party officials had expressed that position on several occasions.
“We would have preferred him to remain in politics within the institutional framework of the Republican People’s Party,” Sarı said. “But this is his own assessment.”
Sarı had previously criticized Yavaş over what he described as questions of party loyalty, saying the CHP’s institutional identity should take precedence over individual politicians.
“The CHP’s institutional identity is above all of us and comes before all of us. No one is above the CHP, and no one should see themselves as being above the CHP,” Sarı said.
He added that the party expected all of its mayors to participate in events and activities related to the CHP.
Sarı had also criticized Yavaş after the Ankara mayor said both CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and New Party (YP) leader Özgür Özel had been informed about his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“A mayor cannot say, when taking an action, that he informed the leader of another party in addition to his own party leader,” Sarı had warned.
Four district mayors in the Turkish capital Ankara also announced their resignations from the main opposition CHP shortly after Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş said he was leaving the party to continue his political career as an independent.
The mayors of Beypazarı, Kalecik, Güdül and Polatlı announced their decisions separately on social media, with several saying they would continue to work alongside Yavaş.
Beypazarı Mayor Özer Kasap said he was leaving the CHP and would continue serving as an independent, stressing that his priority remained providing services to residents of the district.
“I stand behind the promises I made to my fellow citizens who trusted and supported me on this path we embarked on with Mayor Mansur Yavaş.”
Kalecik Mayor Satılmış Karakoç also said he would continue his mayoral duties as an independent while maintaining his political alignment with Yavaş.
Karakoç stated his approach to local government would remain unchanged and that he would continue serving residents regardless of their political views.
“Our responsibility toward Kalecik will not change,” he said, adding that he would remain alongside Yavaş.
Güdül Mayor Mehmet Doğanay cited disagreements with the CHP’s current leadership and an ongoing political and legal dispute within the party as reasons for his resignation.
Doğanay said his decision did not represent a break with the CHP’s historical legacy or the principles of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Türkiye and the CHP.
He said he would continue working with Yavaş while serving Güdül as an independent mayor.
Polatlı Mayor Mürsel Yıldızkaya similarly announced that he was leaving the CHP, citing issues raised by Yavaş in his own resignation statement.
Yıldızkaya said he would continue his political activities and municipal work independently alongside Yavaş.
