Speaking at what he described as his final CHP parliamentary group meeting, Özel addressed more than 80 lawmakers who attended the session. “We are establishing our new party, taking the first step with the deputies elected by our nation and entrusted with its mandate,” Özel said. He emphasized that the new entity would not merely serve as an opposition bloc but was formed with the explicit goal of taking power. “After the technical procedures are completed, our newly established party, together with our deputies, will without a doubt become by far the main opposition party in the Turkish parliament,” he stated, drawing a standing ovation from the attendees.
The split stems directly from a May 21 court decision in Ankara that annulled the CHP congress held in November 2023, at which Özel defeated his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The court cited alleged voter fraud and irregular lobbying in the election process, declaring the congress and its results legally invalid from the outset. Consequently, the ruling removed Özel and the party’s executive board, reinstating Kılıçdaroğlu as interim leader pending an appeal. The decision also declared subsequent extraordinary congresses, bylaw amendments, and changes to the political program null and void.
In the days following the ruling, police entered the CHP headquarters to enforce the court order. Kılıçdaroğlu’s administration subsequently initiated disciplinary proceedings against senior officials aligned with Özel. Despite repeated calls from party figures to convene an extraordinary congress to resolve the leadership dispute permanently, Kılıçdaroğlu has focused instead on removing those identified with the ousted leader’s camp. Reports indicate that nearly 90 of the CHP’s 135 members of parliament and 74 of its 81 provincial chairs are expected to join Özel’s new movement. Some lawmakers loyal to Özel are expected to remain within the CHP structure to prevent Kılıçdaroğlu from consolidating complete control over the party’s assets and parliamentary group.
The new party, reportedly to be named “Yeni Parti” or “New Party,” is expected to be formally launched on Monday following the completion of registration procedures with the Interior Ministry. Özel characterized the decision as a “sad farewell” that had become inevitable, but one that carried “the hope of a new beginning.” He used a Turkish idiom to describe the transition, stating, “We are not taking off a shirt in politics. Together, we are putting on a shirt of fire for the future of this country.”
The political turmoil has unfolded against a backdrop of intense legal pressure on the opposition. Since the CHP swept Turkey’s major cities in the 2024 local elections and emerged as the country’s largest party by vote share, a series of investigations have targeted CHP-run municipalities. These probes have led to the arrest of 26 opposition mayors on corruption charges, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, the popular mayor of Istanbul. İmamoğlu has been imprisoned since March of last year and faces multiple criminal cases that could result in decades-long sentences. A separate case alleged that Özel was elected party chairman through bribery, a claim central to the court’s annulment of the congress.
Özel and his supporters argue that the judicial actions constitute interference in party affairs and are part of a broader campaign by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to weaken the opposition. The government, however, maintains that Turkey’s courts operate independently. Many political insiders in Ankara believe that Kılıçdaroğlu’s reinstatement was quietly backed by the government as part of an effort to fracture the opposition. Last month, Kılıçdaroğlu’s adviser Bulent Kuşoğlu suggested in an interview that “state interest” was driving the construction of a new political order that would outlast Erdoğan’s rule, implying the CHP upheaval was part of a broader strategic process.
For Erdoğan, the emergence of a new opposition party presents a complex dynamic. In the short term, the split may strengthen his prospects ahead of the 2028 presidential election by dividing Turkey’s largest opposition force into rival camps. The opposition has already lost significant momentum following months of legal pressure, and the defection of key mayors to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) further complicates the landscape. However, the new party’s potential to surpass the AKP in polls remains a significant variable. The immediate next step is the formal registration of the Yeni Parti, which will solidify the new parliamentary arithmetic in Turkey’s 600-member Grand National Assembly.
