Political turbulence in Turkey has taken a dramatic turn in recent days, with a high-profile party switch, sweeping corruption probes, and even an alleged assassination plot capturing the nation’s attention. As President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party intensifies its crackdown on opposition figures, the country’s main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), finds itself beset by both external pressure and internal fractures—raising questions about the future of Turkish democracy and the rule of law.
On Thursday, August 14, 2025, a political bombshell dropped when Ozlem Cercioglu, the long-serving mayor of Aydin in western Turkey, announced her resignation from the CHP. Cercioglu, who had held the mayoralty since 2009 and previously served as a CHP member of parliament, cited irreconcilable differences with party leadership as the reason for her departure. “Although we have repeatedly searched for solutions to the problems we face within the CHP, unfortunately we have not been able to reach a solution. I am no longer on the same track as the CHP,” Cercioglu stated, according to reporting from Jakarta-based outlets.
That very same day, Cercioglu joined the AK Party in a ceremony attended by President Erdogan himself, along with three other mayors who had also defected from the CHP. The timing of her switch was striking, coming amid a broad crackdown on opposition officials that has seen at least 15 mayors detained in recent months. The ruling party’s moves have been accompanied by a wave of investigations targeting prominent opposition figures, most notably Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is widely seen as Erdogan’s chief political rival.
Imamoglu and several of his top aides have been swept up in corruption and terrorism-related probes—allegations that the CHP has firmly rejected as politically motivated attempts to weaken the opposition and stifle alternative voices. “Anyone who violates the law or commits a crime will eventually be tried,” countered AKP Deputy Chairman Hayati Yazici in an interview with TV 100, rejecting claims of political interference. Cercioglu herself denied any fear of investigations, stating at the AK Party ceremony that her decision was not motivated by threats or pressure.
Yet, behind the scenes, tensions are running high. CHP leader Ozgur Ozel told reporters that AKP officials had threatened Cercioglu with legal action and possible arrest if she refused to join the ruling party—a claim that both the AKP and Cercioglu have publicly denied. Still, the resignations and ongoing detentions have fueled speculation about the extent of the government’s campaign and its impact on the country’s already polarized political landscape.
Meanwhile, the corruption investigations themselves have taken on a life of their own, drawing in a sprawling cast of politicians, bureaucrats, and businesspeople. On Friday, August 15, Turkish authorities detained thirteen suspects in a coordinated operation involving intelligence, police, and gendarmerie. The group is accused of plotting to assassinate Aziz Ihsan Aktaş, a prominent businessman who has become a key witness in the corruption probes engulfing CHP-run municipalities.
According to a detailed report by Sabah newspaper, Fatih Keleş—a former chair of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s (IBB) sports club and a detained ex-employee—allegedly orchestrated the plot to silence Aktaş. Keleş, who was arrested in March alongside Mayor Imamoglu on charges of bribery, extortion, and other graft-related offenses, is accused of overseeing the delivery of illicit cash for a criminal network purportedly led by Imamoglu. Prosecutors claim that Keleş acted as Imamoglu’s “bagman,” managing bribes and preferential treatment in lucrative municipal tenders.
The assassination plot, as described by Sabah, involved contracting an underworld figure, Selahattin Yılmaz, to kill Aktaş. Yılmaz, his son, and two lawyers were among those detained in the multi-city operation, which also yielded a cache of weapons and ammunition. The investigation suggests that Keleş, through his lawyer, relayed instructions to Yılmaz to eliminate Aktaş after a recent prison visit—an act allegedly intended to prevent Aktaş from testifying in ongoing trials against Imamoglu and other officials.
Aktaş’s journey from suspect to whistleblower has been a pivotal element in the unfolding scandal. Initially apprehended in January during an operation targeting the Beşiktaş municipality, Aktaş invoked a remorse law, offering his cooperation to prosecutors in exchange for leniency. His testimony has reportedly exposed a far-reaching network of corruption across multiple CHP-run municipalities, including irregularities in tenders, forced purchases at inflated prices, and systematic bribery involving mayors and their deputies. Aktaş described how he was pressured to buy properties and vehicles owned by municipal officials as a means of laundering bribe money, implicating local governments from Istanbul’s Beşiktaş, Avcılar, and Beyoğlu districts to Seyhan and Ceyhan in Adana province, as well as IBB subsidiaries like IETT and ISFALT.
Following Aktaş’s revelations, authorities launched a series of fresh investigations starting on May 31, leading to the arrest of several CHP mayors and senior officials. Among those detained were Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe, Avcılar Mayor Utku Caner Çaykara, Ceyhan Mayor Kadir Aydar, Seyhan Mayor Oya Tekin, IBB Deputy Secretary General Erdal Celal Aksoy, and ISFALT General Manager Burak Korzay. Prosecutors allege that bribes from business figures were funneled through companies linked to Imamoglu’s associates, personally enriching the mayor and his inner circle.
One of the most explosive pieces of evidence cited by investigators is video footage showing Keleş and Tuncay Yılmaz, general manager of a construction company owned by Imamoglu’s family, counting large sums of cash delivered in suitcases—money purportedly intended for the purchase of the CHP’s Istanbul provincial headquarters. Keleş himself was filmed counting the money and later told investigators, “A portion of funds collected during the campaign was given to me to deliver to the seller. I handed the money to Deputy Provincial Chair Özgür Nas at a law office, as instructed.” The CHP, for its part, insists that the cash was raised through legitimate donations for the party building, but public skepticism remains high amid the ongoing outcry.
After the assassination plot was uncovered, authorities ordered Aktaş’s relocation and provided him with a security detail. He remains under house arrest, awaiting his defense in the high-profile trials against Imamoglu and other officials. The case has already prompted several other businesspeople and municipal bureaucrats to confess to corruption in exchange for reduced sentences—a pattern that has only deepened the sense of crisis within the CHP.
As Turkey approaches another election cycle, the convergence of political defections, corruption scandals, and threats of violence has left citizens and observers alike wondering what comes next. Will the ruling party’s campaign further erode opposition power, or will the backlash galvanize critics of Erdogan’s government? For now, the only certainty is that the stakes for Turkish democracy have rarely felt higher.