A forced departure

Özgür Özel, the 51-year-old former leader of Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP), announced the formation of a new social democratic party in a speech to parliament in Ankara on 21 July 2026. The move follows a court ruling in late May that annulled the 2023 CHP congress where Özel was elected chairman, citing alleged irregularities. The court reinstated his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, as interim leader. Özel said he had fought for weeks to remain inside the CHP and filed an appeal, but the court went into summer recess without hearing it.

“Today we stand on the brink of a sad farewell that has become inevitable and whose time has come.”

He added that the CHP was "under occupation" and that the new party would carry forward the legacy of state founder Kemal Atatürk. Turkish media report the grouping will be called "New Party" and that Özel plans to submit a registration application to the Interior Ministry next week.

The new party's prospects

Observers expect around 80 of the 135 CHP lawmakers to defect to the new party, which would immediately make it the largest opposition force in parliament. Kılıçdaroğlu would be left with a minority rump. A survey by the Istanpol think tank and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in early July found that roughly 30% of respondents could imagine voting for a then-hypothetical Özel-led party, a figure that would surpass President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's AKP.

“We want to create something new.”

The poll also indicated the new party could draw support from beyond traditional CHP voters. Still, Özel faces the challenge of converting early enthusiasm into a durable political force.

Background of repression

The split unfolds against a backdrop of intensifying judicial pressure on the opposition. After the CHP dealt Erdoğan's AKP a heavy defeat in the 2024 local elections, authorities have targeted the party. Ekrem İmamoğlu, the former Istanbul mayor seen as Erdoğan's most formidable rival, has been imprisoned for over a year on corruption charges. Numerous other opposition mayors are also in detention. Critics view the court ruling against Özel as a politically motivated intervention, a charge the government denies. The crisis has raised concerns about democracy and the rule of law in the NATO member state.

Özel's political journey

Özel, a pharmacist by training, once led the pharmacists' association in his home province of Manisa. As an MP, he gained prominence after the 2014 Soma mining disaster that killed 301 workers, sharply criticising the government and pushing for accountability. He defeated Kılıçdaroğlu in a contested leadership vote in 2023 and repositioned the CHP, promoting younger politicians. His removal and the subsequent party split mark a dramatic turn in a career that had been defined by steady ascent.

What comes next

The new party's registration is expected within days. Its immediate size in parliament will depend on how many CHP deputies follow Özel. The next general election must be held by 2028, and the fragmentation of the opposition could, paradoxically, improve Erdoğan's chances of extending his more than two-decade rule. For now, Özel is betting that a clean break and a social democratic rebrand can mobilise voters weary of both the AKP and the CHP's internal turmoil.