Mansur Yavaş Resigns from CHP, Will Continue as Independent

Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş announced his resignation from the Republican People's Party (CHP), Turkey's main opposition party. In a post on X, he announced the decision with the words: “I am leaving my membership of the Republican People's Party, and I present to the public that I will continue my political path as an independent.” Yavaş said he made the decision neither out of anger nor resentment, and pledged to continue serving all residents of Ankara in the same way as mayor, regardless of whether they voted for him or their political views.

Yavaş tied his resignation to legal and political disputes that had been ongoing since March 19, particularly a dispute within CHP over an “absolute nullity” case, and to internal divisions within the party. He cited “certain statements made today” as the reason for leaving, without specifying which, but the remarks were widely seen as a reference to comments by CHP spokesperson Müslim Sarı, who had warned party mayors just before the resignation that “no one is above the Republican People's Party” — seen as the final trigger for the decision.

First reactions from CHP and other parties

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu initially described the resignation as “a unilateral act, his own political choice.” In a later written statement, he called Yavaş “a valuable politician I brought to CHP” and said he fully agreed with Yavaş's remarks that “loyalty to the voters' will is the honor of politics.” CHP spokesperson Müslim Sarı's first comment on the resignation was: “Good luck to him — he has clarified his political affiliation.” Özgür Özel, chairman of the New Party (Yeni Parti), said he had expressed his respect for Yavaş's decision to him by phone and would respect whatever decisions Yavaş and his colleagues made going forward. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli also commented on the resignation, in remarks that drew attention for a notable reference to President Erdoğan.

A wave of resignations in Ankara

Following Yavaş's resignation, a series of district mayors in Ankara also resigned from CHP. The number climbed within hours — starting with the mayors of Beypazarı and Kalecik, then rising to three, six, seven and eventually eight district mayors. CHP had won Ankara's metropolitan municipality along with 16 district municipalities in the March 31 local elections; after the wave of resignations, it was left holding only two district municipalities in Ankara, Etimesgut and Yenimahalle.

Yavaş pushed back against attempts to link his resignation to the presidential election, saying: “My resignation decision has nothing to do with the presidential election. I'm watching what's being said in the media with astonishment.” He addressed questions about a possible candidacy in that context. Separately, columnist Aytunç Erkin, writing in the newspaper Nefes, reported that Yavaş had in fact made the decision to resign 12 days before announcing it.