Former Turkish Opposition Chief Launches New Party to Rival Erdogan
WHO:
AP News - Ozgur Ozel, the deposed leader of Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
AP News - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the current president of Turkey.
AP News - Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the reinstated leader of the CHP.
AP News - Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and a potential challenger to Erdogan.
WHAT:
DW.com - The New Party, founded by Ozgur Ozel, has 91 lawmakers, making it the second-largest party in Turkey's 600-seat parliament.
DW.com - The CHP has been reduced to 44 lawmakers, placing it in fourth position behind the pro-Kurdish opposition DEM party, which has 56 seats.
DW.com - Ozel stated, "The new party we are about to establish will become the main opposition force in the Grand National Assembly by a wide margin."
AP News - Ozgur Ozel formed a new political party named the “New Party” to challenge President Erdogan.
AP News - Ozel and 90 other legislators formally resigned from the CHP and registered the New Party with the Interior Ministry.
AP News - The New Party is expected to replace the CHP as the main opposition party in Turkey.
AP News - The CHP has been reduced to 44 seats in the 600-seat parliament after the defections.
WHERE:
AP News - Ankara, Turkey, where the new political party was registered.
WHEN:
AP News - A court of appeal annulled a 2023 party congress vote that appointed Ozel as CHP chair.
AP News - Ozel's ouster occurred months after the court decision.
WHY:
DW.com - Ozel's decision to form the New Party was influenced by deep divisions within the CHP and the annulment of his leadership election due to allegations of vote buying.
AP News - Ozel's supporters view his ouster as part of a wider crackdown on the opposition.
AP News - Ozel decided to establish a new party after Kilicdaroglu rejected repeated demands to call a fresh leadership election.
HOW:
DW.com - After filing formation papers with the Interior Ministry, defecting Ankara MP Murat Emir remarked, "We are leaving an occupied party behind."
AP News - Ozel announced the formation of the New Party in a video posted on X, showing him signing a document formalizing his resignation from the CHP.
(UPDATED July 24, 2026 17:27 UTC)
The New Party, founded by Ozgur Ozel, has emerged as the second-largest party in Turkey's 600-seat parliament with 91 lawmakers, while the CHP has dropped to fourth place with only 44 seats, behind the pro-Kurdish DEM party, which holds 56 seats. Ozel, citing deep divisions within the CHP and the annulment of his leadership election over vote buying allegations, expressed confidence that his new party will become the main opposition force in the Grand National Assembly. Following the filing of formation papers with the Interior Ministry, defecting Ankara MP Murat Emir stated, "We are leaving an occupied party behind."
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(UPDATED July 24, 2026 14:38 UTC)
Ozgur Ozel, the deposed leader of Turkey's main opposition party, has formed a new political party called the "New Party" to challenge President Erdogan. Ozel, along with 90 other legislators, formally resigned from the Republican People’s Party and registered the New Party in Ankara, which is expected to take over as the main opposition party in Turkey. This move follows Ozel's ouster after a court annulled a previous party congress vote, and he decided to create the new party after his calls for a fresh leadership election were rejected by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the reinstated leader of the CHP.