Deposed Turkish opposition leader plans new party
Opposition leader Ozgur Ozel has announced plans to form a new political party after being ousted from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) by a court order.
Turkey's opposition leader Ozgur Ozel announced in a speech in parliament on Tuesday that he intends to establish a new political party. The move comes after a court removed him as chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in May, amid what the opposition calls a crackdown by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ozel described his new political project as "the hope of a new beginning" in efforts to unseat Turkey's long-time leader.
The new party, whose name has not yet been announced, is expected to trigger an exodus of voters and parliamentarians from the secularist CHP, which was founded over a century ago by modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Many of the CHP's 135 lawmakers in the 600-seat parliament are expected to defect, with Ozel claiming it would become the main opposition "by a wide margin."
Turkey's opposition has faced a series of legal problems, with hundreds of elected municipal officials and members jailed since late 2024. Among them is Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely seen as the strongest potential challenger to Erdogan, who has been imprisoned since March last year and faces charges that could result in decades-long sentences. Ozel and critics say the court ruling against him and the broader legal crackdown on the CHP amount to a politically motivated "coup."
The government, however, insists that Turkey's courts are impartial and independent. Erdogan, in power for more than two decades, has rejected claims of judicial interference, describing the case that led to Ozel's ouster as an internal CHP dispute.
Under Ozel's leadership, the CHP delivered a significant blow to Erdogan's ruling party in the 2024 municipal elections, gaining several cities, including Istanbul and Ankara. Analysts suggest Ozel's new party could benefit Erdogan by splitting the opposition. "This picture can only change if the new party can create a very strong societal response and transform into the main hub of the opposition," said Murat Gezici, chairman of pollster Gezici. "However, in the short- and medium-term, the political arithmetic works in favour of Erdogan and the AK Party."
