Ankara mayor an unlikely rebel in face-off with Erdogan

Bloomberg

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.
Gokcek’s refusal to abide by calls to quit from the all-powerful Erdogan, who has ruled by decree under emergency law since last year’s coup attempt, is a risky move that could see him forcibly removed from office, or facing an investigation. Pro-government media that once supported the mayor have turned against him, publishing stories hinting at corruption and connections to the group the government blames for the failed putsch. Erdogan warned Oct. 19 that resistance by mayors he’s asked to resign would yield “severe” consequences. “I don’t even want to think about it,” he said.