Ozgur Ozel Launches 91-MP Yeni Parti, Overtaking CHP in Turkey's Parliament
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Jul 24
Ozgur Ozel Launches 91-MP Yeni Parti, Overtaking CHP in Turkey's Parliament
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Jul 24
Summary
Ninety-one lawmakers led by ousted CHP chief Ozgur Ozel formed Yeni Parti on Friday, instantly making it Turkey's second-largest parliamentary force behind the AKP's 277 seats.
The split gutted the CHP, which fell from 135 seats to 44 and dropped to fourth place behind the pro-Kurdish DEM party's 56 lawmakers.
Ozel's break came after a court in May annulled his 2023 CHP leadership win over vote-buying allegations, removed him from office and installed rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
The rupture deepens turmoil in Turkey's main secular opposition as Ozel, who rose during protests over jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, vows to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Will the sudden birth of Turkey's New Party permanently shatter the historic opposition, or secretly forge a stronger weapon against Erdogan's rule?
With Turkish markets tumbling after the CHP split, can this breakaway faction organize fast enough to survive the brutal electoral threshold?
Could the controversial court ruling that fractured Turkey's oldest political party be a calculated masterstroke to eliminate the opposition before the 2028 elections?
The 2026 Turkish Opposition Split: How the Birth of Yeni Parti Redefined Parliament and Set the Stage for a Turbulent 2028 Election
Overview
A major turning point in Turkish politics began when allegations of vote manipulation at the 2023 CHP congress led to a court annulling the results and reinstating Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. This triggered disciplinary actions and police intervention, prompting Özgür Özel and 90 lawmakers to leave the CHP and form the Yeni Parti. The new party quickly became the main opposition, while the CHP was left weakened both in parliament and at the local level as many leaders and lawmakers defected. Meanwhile, the arrest and sidelining of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu deepened the opposition’s crisis, fueling mass protests and further destabilizing the political landscape ahead of the 2028 elections.