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Ozel launches new party
Ozgur Ozel announced plans on Tuesday to create a new political party to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he was removed as leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, by a court order in May.
“Turkiye’s opposition leader Ozgur Ozel has announced a plan to form a new political party after he was ousted from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)”
In his speech to CHP lawmakers and other officials in parliament, Ozel said, "We are establishing our new party by taking the first step together with the deputies chosen by our nation," and he added, "These are the determined steps of a march toward governing Turkey."
The court decision cited alleged irregularities in a 2023 party congress vote that appointed Ozel as CHP chair and reinstated Kemal Kilicdaroglu, while Ozel framed the case as a legal attack on the CHP.
The new political movement, expected to be called Yeni Parti, or New Party, was described as set to be formally launched later this week, with many of the CHP’s 135 legislators in Turkey’s 600-seat parliament expected to defect.
AFP reported that Ozel told lawmakers at the party’s weekly parliamentary group meeting that Turkey stood at "a historic crossroads" and said the new party would become the main opposition force "by a wide margin."
Crackdown and competing narratives
Ozel’s announcement came as criminal investigations across Turkey, mostly alleging corruption in CHP-run municipalities, led to hundreds of elected officials and party members being detained, including Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul.
AFP and DW both tied the leadership crisis to a court ruling that removed Ozel and reinstated Kilicdaroglu, with DW saying Ozel’s supporters view the case as part of a broader campaign by Erdogan to weaken the opposition while the government insists Turkey’s courts operate independently.
In his farewell address, Ozel told lawmakers, "Once the necessary procedures are completed, the new party we are about to establish will become the main opposition force in the Grand National Assembly by a wide margin," and he added, "We carry within us an unwavering hope for a new beginning," as lawmakers gave him a standing ovation.
DW reported that Ozel was removed as head of the CHP by court order in May, in a ruling that also reinstated Kemal Kilicdaroglu as interim leader, and it said the dispute deepened the split in Turkish opposition.
The Jerusalem Post said Ozel’s fiery speech included the line, "Today, we are on the brink of a sad farewell that has become inevitable and whose time has come," and it described supporters cheering and chanting "Free Turkey, free future."
What’s at stake next
The sources frame the new party as a bid to reshape Turkey’s opposition after the May court ruling annulled the CHP’s November 2023 leadership election over allegations of vote-buying, reinstating Kilicdaroglu and stripping Ozel of his title as chairman.
“Turkey: the ousted leader of the main opposition party ready to found a new movement (information provided by AFP 21/07/2026 at 16:01) Özgür Özel, the leader ousted by Turkish justice from the main opposition party, the CHP, announced on Tuesday that he would create a new movement, which he says is destined to become the largest opposition force in Parliament”
AFP reported that Ozel was reportedly due to submit an application to the interior ministry on Monday to establish the new party, while DW said Ozel was reportedly due to submit an application to the Interior Ministry to establish the new party called "Yeni Party" ("New Party").
The Times of Israel reported that for the new party to become Turkey’s second largest parliamentary party and main opposition, it would need to take at least 68 of CHP’s 135 lawmakers, and it said political insiders expected between 83 and 85 CHP lawmakers to join.
Al Jazeera reported that many of the CHP’s 135 legislators in the 600-seat parliament were expected to defect and join the new party, which Ozel said would become the parliament’s main opposition "by a wide margin," while it also noted some suggestions the split could play into Erdogan’s hands by dividing opposition forces.
In a separate framing of the political arithmetic, The Times of Israel said the opposition’s deepening crisis—including the jailing of hundreds of its elected municipal officials and members since late 2024—was seen as a test of Turkey’s democracy and could boost Erdogan’s prospects of extending his more than two-decade rule in elections to be held by May 2028.
