Deposed Turkish opposition leader plans new party

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing Reuters and The Associated Press, reports that Ozgur Ozel, the ousted leader of Turkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has said he intends to create a new political party. Ozel announced the plan in parliament on Tuesday, roughly two months after an appeals court removed him as CHP chair and restored former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu to the post.

The party’s name has not been disclosed. Ozel framed the project as a fresh start for the opposition and said it would be built with lawmakers elected by the public. Al Jazeera reports that many of the CHP’s 135 members in Turkiye’s 600-seat parliament are expected to move to the new formation, which Ozel said could become the main opposition bloc by a large margin.

The development comes amid mounting legal pressure on opposition figures and CHP-run municipalities. According to the report, hundreds of elected officials and party members have been detained since late 2024, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, viewed as a leading potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ozel and other critics describe the cases and the court decision against him as politically driven; the government denies interference and says the judiciary acts independently.

The move could reshape opposition politics in Turkiye. The CHP, founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, made major gains in the 2024 local elections, including in Istanbul and Ankara. Some analysts cited by Al Jazeera warned that a breakaway party may divide Erdogan’s opponents, while others suggested it could become a new center of opposition if it draws strong public support.