Beleagured Turkish opposition attempts to regroup with new party
Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel and 91 former CHP lawmakers applied to create a new political party after a court annulled the CHP's 2023 congress and removed Ozel as chairman. The proposed New Party aims to become the second‑largest force in parliament, behind President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party. The split in the opposition raises concerns that it could bolster Erdogan’s chances of retaining power.
- ▪Ozgur Ozel and 91 breakaway MPs submitted an application to the interior ministry to launch the New Party following a court ruling that nullified the CHP’s recent congress and stripped Ozel of his chairmanship.
- ▪The New Party is expected to attract most CHP voters and could become the second‑largest parliamentary bloc after the AK Party, which holds 277 of 600 seats.
- ▪The CHP retains 44 MPs, including some of Ozel’s supporters and others loyal to former chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who was re‑appointed by the court.
- ▪Opposition groups label the legal crackdown and the jailing of CHP officials since 2024 as politically motivated, while the government asserts the judiciary’s independence.
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Beleagured Turkish opposition attempts to regroup with new partySign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxFILE PHOTO: Ozgur Ozel, the ousted chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and his supporters visit the mausoleum of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara, Turkey, May 30, 2026. REUTERS/Efekan Akyuz/File Photo Published Jul 24, 2026, 06:08 PMUpdated Jul 24, 2026, 06:08 PMSet as preferred sourceANKARA, July 24 - Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel and 91 breakaway lawmakers applied on Friday to launch a new political party, seeking to regroup to challenge President Tayyip Erdogan after their former party faced an unprecedented legal crackdown.They applied to the interior ministry to launch the so-called New Party in protest…
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