Economics
Ankara Mayor Becomes Unlikely Rebel in Showdown With Erdogan
- Melih Gokcek has so far resisted president’s calls to resign
- Erdogan shaking up party after declaring ‘fatigue’ in ranks
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Longtime Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek is resisting pressure to resign, fashioning himself into an unlikely rebel as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turns a sweeping purge of Turkish society against his own party.
Gokcek, who’s been elected to the post in five consecutive elections since 1994, has been under pressure to step down since early this month, when Turkish media began to report speculation that he would go. His resignation seemed imminent when he met Erdogan at the presidential palace late on Oct. 5. But the mayor emerged from that meeting with his job, and later sent tweets saying he’d discussed a museum and other projects with the president.