Tunç Soyer, the former mayor of İzmir, was detained as part of an operation targeting the municipality and its affiliated companies during his term.
Soyer is a politician who is constantly associated with his father. Whenever he steps into the political spotlight, his father's name resurfaces. His father, Nurettin Soyer, was a military prosecutor who prepared the indictment and launched a case against founding MHP Chair Alparslan Türkeş and his colleagues following the 1980 military coup. When Soyer was proposed as the CHP’s mayoral candidate for Izmir in 2019, his father's name was immediately brought into the conversation. The MHP’s resentment persisted, and Meral Akşener, then chair of the İYİ Party—which was just beginning to form an alliance with the CHP—also opposed Soyer’s candidacy because of his father. Once his candidacy was announced, the İYİ Party, which supported CHP candidates in other cities, ran its own candidate in Izmir to compete against Soyer in 2019.
SOYER'S DISAPPOINTMENT
After serving as mayor for five years, Soyer wanted to run again in the 2024 elections. However, a leadership change in the CHP saw Özgür Özel replace Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as party chair. The new leadership chose not to nominate Soyer, offering no explanation. Instead, the CHP nominated Cemil Tugay, the current mayor. Soyer openly expressed his disappointment at not being allowed to run again and at the lack of transparency. Since then, he has kept a distance from both the new CHP leadership and the current mayor. During his visit to Izmir following Soyer’s detention, Özel acknowledged that Soyer had become an internal rival, and added “competition is natural, but I will never abandon my brother Tunç.” Meanwhile, Tugay has given Soyer the cold shoulder, a stance occasionally reflected in his public remarks.
SOYER'S PAST AND FUTURE
Before becoming İzmir’s mayor, Soyer served as mayor of Seferihisar—a district in Izmir—for a full decade. He has a strong academic background both in Turkey and abroad and is a trained lawyer. He was the one who introduced the “slow city” movement to Seferihisar. One of his most defining traits has been the strong relationships he built with European platforms. Soyer has consistently been a vocal supporter of Turkey’s EU membership. He also supported all Kurdish peace processes and is known for backing the current reconciliation efforts. The pro-Kurdish DEM Party publicly and officially condemned his detention. Soyer is a political figure not limited to Izmir; he has national ambitions and the potential for a broader political role.
CITY OF ATATÜRK
Among all Turkish cities, Izmir is the most strongly identified with Atatürk. Since 1989, every mayor of İzmir has been from the CHP. Though traditionally a center-right stronghold, the city has widely adopted the belief that “being Kemalist means being CHP.” Throughout his tenure, Soyer resonated with this public sentiment. If he is released and able to raise his voice from Izmir to the rest of Turkey, he is almost certain to be counted among the political figures of the future.
