Mayor of Turkish opposition stronghold Izmir defects to Erdoğan’s party

The mayor of Izmir, Turkey’s third city and an opposition stronghold, has defected to the ruling AKP, a move hailed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Cemil Tugay, the mayor, joined the AKP after vowing he would never switch sides in a coup for Erdoğan.

Turkey’s opposition is facing an increasingly intense crackdown, with a barrage of what observers say are politically motivated arrests and trials.