Özgür Özel’s announcement could trigger a mass exodus from the CHP and create a new main opposition force in Turkey’s parliament.
A major rupture within Turkey’s opposition has now been formally confirmed, more than two weeks after The Levant Files reported that dozens of lawmakers were preparing to leave the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and establish a new political formation under Özgür Özel.
Speaking at a parliamentary group meeting in Ankara on Tuesday, Özel announced that he and allied lawmakers would take the first steps towards creating a new party. Describing his departure from the CHP as a painful but unavoidable farewell, he presented the initiative as a “new beginning” and the start of a renewed campaign to govern Turkey.
On July 6, The Levant Files reported that at least 73 CHP deputies were considering joining a breakaway party, potentially depriving the CHP of its position as Turkey’s main parliamentary opposition. The report, based on information circulating in Ankara and initially published by T24, also identified the period immediately after July 20 as decisive. Tuesday’s announcement closely followed that projected timetable.
The scale of the expected defection may now be larger than originally anticipated. According to the latest reports from Ankara, 86 lawmakers could participate as founding members, while the total number eventually leaving the CHP may exceed 90. Although the party’s final name has not officially been announced, “Yeni Parti,” meaning “New Party,” is reportedly the leading option.
Özel said the emerging movement would become Turkey’s principal opposition force “by a wide margin.” More than 80 lawmakers attended his parliamentary address, chanting slogans supporting a “free Turkey” and a “free future.”
The split follows a May court ruling that annulled the CHP’s 2023 congress, removed Özel from the leadership and reinstated former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Özel and his supporters have characterised the ruling, alongside the detention and prosecution of numerous opposition politicians, as a politically motivated intervention. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government denies influencing the judiciary.
Özel also pledged not to abandon imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu or Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, both regarded as possible presidential challengers.
The new party’s formation could fundamentally reorder Turkey’s opposition ahead of elections scheduled by May 2028. It could create a more dynamic anti-Erdoğan bloc, but it also carries the risk of dividing opposition voters and strengthening the ruling Justice and Development Party.