ANKARA, Turkey — The man who was stripped of his leadership role in Turkey’s largest opposition party took a bold step Friday, launching a brand-new political party aimed at challenging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His removal from power months ago, carried out through a court order, was condemned by his allies as a deliberate attempt to undermine the opposition.
Ozgur Ozel, along with 90 fellow lawmakers, officially stepped down from the Republican People’s Party — known as the CHP — and registered the newly formed group, called simply the “New Party,” with Turkey’s Interior Ministry.
In a video shared on X, Ozel was seen signing his formal resignation from the CHP, Turkey’s longest-standing political party. “May it be auspicious for our homeland, our nation, and our party,” he said.
The chain of events leading to the split began in May, when an appeals court threw out a 2023 party congress vote that had originally installed Ozel as CHP chairman. The court cited alleged procedural irregularities and reinstated Kemal Kilicdaroglu — a figure widely seen as unpopular — back into the top role. The decision drew fierce backlash from many within the party.
Ozel, who is 51 years old, had taken over from the 77-year-old Kilicdaroglu following what many political analysts described as 13 years of largely ineffective opposition to Erdogan’s rule.
Many of Ozel’s backers believe his removal is part of a broader effort to suppress opposition voices across the country.
Over the past two years, hundreds of mayors and local officials from CHP-governed municipalities have been taken into custody amid criminal probes, the majority of which center on corruption allegations.
Among those detained is Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul’s mayor and widely regarded as the most formidable potential rival to Erdogan. Imamoglu, a CHP member, has been behind bars since March of last year and is facing criminal charges that could carry sentences spanning decades. Whether he will align himself with the New Party remains unclear.
Erdogan’s administration has maintained that Turkey’s judiciary operates independently and free from political interference.
During Ozel’s time leading the CHP, the party dealt a notable setback to Erdogan’s faction in the 2024 local elections.
With 91 seats in Turkey’s 600-member parliament, the New Party is widely anticipated to take over as the primary opposition bloc. Erdogan’s ruling Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party, known as the AKP, currently holds 277 seats, while the CHP has been left with just 44 seats following the mass departures.
Ozel moved forward with founding the new party after Kilicdaroglu repeatedly refused calls to hold a new leadership election following the annulment of the previous one.
