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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a closed-door meeting with Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavas, who is considered one of the potential presidential candidates in Türkiye’s 2028 elections, at the Presidential Complex on Wednesday, as the country’s opposition continues to undergo a significant political realignment.
The presidency confirmed the meeting but provided no details on its substance.
Yavas later said the talks focused on Ankara’s metro investments and other ongoing and planned municipal projects.
He also thanked Erdogan for his support for investments in the capital and for Ankara hosting the NATO Summit.
Yavas provided further details on Thursday, saying politics was not discussed.
He said metro projects, municipal financing and a planned fair and congress center were among the issues raised during the meeting.
Turkish main opposition Yeni Party Chairman Ozgur Ozel also said he had been informed about the meeting in advance, adding that Yavas had previously told him he intended to seek an appointment with Erdogan over Ankara-related investments.
The meeting comes as Yavas’ political future has increasingly become a subject of speculation following the split within the CHP.
Ozel and 90 other lawmakers resigned from the CHP on July 24 to establish the Yeni Party after a court ruling removed Ozel from the CHP leadership.
The new party immediately became Parliament’s second-largest bloc, while several mayors elected under the CHP banner have since also moved to the Yeni Party.
The visit also came amid recent Turkish media reports claiming that Yavas could leave the CHP and continue as an independent, without joining either Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) or the Yeni Party.
Yavas rejected claims Thursday that he planned to resign from the CHP.
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